ZENA IRMA TRINKA 




Class JLJi3_fc_ 
Book__.T 1 1 



CoiJyiigiitN" 

cspmicm DEPOSIT. 




THKODOKE K( )()SE V ELT. AAl IJKK 'AX 



NORTH DAKOTA OF TODAY 



BY 



ZENA IRMA TRINKA 




WITH 124 ILLUSTRATIONS 



BISMARCK 



BISMARCK TRIBUNE PUBLISHING COMPANY 
19 19 



TL31o 

TS3 



COPYRIGHT, 1919, BV ZENA IRMA TRINKA 

all rights reserved 
Published December, i<>i<> 



All Photographic Repioductions Fully Prolfcled 
by Copyright 



JAN ( 1921) 



i> 



^> 



(d)CI.A55yy72 






si 
ct 



Dedicated to 

Ex-Presideiit Theodore Koosevelt : 

A North Dakota Man of the Old Days ; 

Whose Meiiioi y Shall Ever Live 

in the Hearts of North 

Dakota People. 



A Prince of Ixnul ini.s fdllcii — 

The iieirM has reached the West — 

The place of his old stampiny groinid. 
The land that lorcd him best! 



PREFACE 

T^HIlS book is North Dakota's tribute to the ineiuoiT of Ex- 
•■• President Theodore Roosevelt — tlie dedication of which 
appears on another page. North Dakota people will never 
forget the great man wlio lived in their midst during the 
earljj and romantic period of the State's history — when the 
prairies resounded with the stamping of thousands upon 
thousands of herds of bison, and the plains re-eclioed with tlie 
merry pranks of tlie cowboys — lie is too deeply enshrined in 
their hearts for that. Colonel Roosevelt paid North Dakota 
the greatest compliment when he said : ''That if it had not 
been for his experiences in North Dakota, he never would 
have become President of the United States." 

And always in his heart he treasured a fond remembrance 
for North Dakota. When in April, 1918, the writer was com- 
piling the early history of the state, and wrote to him asking 
for the loan of his photograph to head chapter: ^'Roosevelt 
In North Dakota, "he not only sent his ]>hotograph, ac- 
comj)anied with his good Avishes, but on it he also inscribed 
a message of greeting to North Dakota people, consisting of 
the following words: 

"'Good luck to the people of JVortli 
Dakota, from a Xorth Dakota man 
of the old daji^^:' 

— Theodore Roosevelt. 
April 27, 1918. 

This message in his own handwriting, together with his 
photograph Avill be printed in the l>ook of history that is 



yiii PUEIWCE — Colli. 

about to be published under title : "Out AVlieie The West 
Begins.'- It was his last message to the North Dakota people, 
and for that reason will be treasured by them for genei-a- 
tioiis to come. 

To meet a most urgent need in oui' public schools and 
libraries for reference material bearing on North Dakota, 
the following authentic present-day history was compiled. 
The historical facts of the following pages are all of un- 
impeachable veracity, same being derived from siicli authen- 
tic soui-ces as: The North Dakota Blue Books, various geo- 
logical and typographical reports, etc., as well as a state-wide 
correspondence campaign, and personal interviews with some 
of North Dakota's most reliable citizens. The author wishes 
jiarticularly to thank those mentioned below, who so gen- 
erously res])0iided to my reijuests for information and for 
photographs; as well as foi- private interviews granted. 

Sec. Andrew Haas, of Jamestown Chamber of Commerce; 
Sec. Ingram Moe, of Valley City Commercial Clul); Sec. 
Edgar LaKue, of Devils Lake Commercial Club; Dr. B. H. 
Kroezc, Cliairman of .Iaiiies(o\\ u Clianilun- of Commerce IMili- 
licity Committee; i\[r. .1. II. Bloom, Editor of Devils Lake 
donriial; StMiator A. A. Li(Mlerbach, of the Sixteenth Legis- 
lative Assembly of North Dakota; Sec. Clyde W. (Iraves, of 
Grand Forks Commercial Club; Miss M. (). Movius, Pres. of 
First National Bank of Lidgerwood ; Sec. George N. Keniston, 
of Bismarck Commercial Club; Sec. A. G. Tverberg, of Grafton 
(\mimercial Club; Mr. J. (). Kindahl, of (iraftou ; Sec. C. .1. 
Kachelhofler, of AVahi)etoii Commercial Club; Mr. E. A. 
Tostevin, Editor of ALindan 1/ioneer; Sec. Will Holbein, of 
Minot Association of Commerce; Prof. Arvold, of State 
Agricultural College; .Mr. George I). Mann, Publisher of 
Bismarck Tribune; Hon. N. 15. I>lack. of Earuo ; Mrs. Minnie 



Preface ix 

Clarke Budlong, Director of Xortli Dakota Public Library 
Commission; Mr, M. L. Ayers, of Dickinson; Miss Bessie 
Baldwin, Librarian of Williston; Prof. Frederick H. Koch, 
of State University; Dr. E. F. Ladd, Pres. of State Agri- 
cnltural College; Mrs. J. B. Cooley, of Extension Division 
of State University; Mr. John Andrews, Editor of Lidger- 
wood Broadaxe ; Miss Lillian Mirick, Librarian of State 
Science School ; Hon. Lewis F. Crawford, of Sentinel Butte ; 
Mr. Anton Trinka, of Lidgerwood ; Mr. Sylvane Ferris, Pres. 
of Dakota National Bank of Dickinson; Hon. N. C. Mac- 
donald, State Educational Advisor; Alex. Karr, of James- 
town; Mr. J. P. Hardy, of Fargo; Sec. F. O. Hellstrom, of 
State Council of Defense; Sec. W. P. Chesnut, of Fargo 
Commercial Club ; the Presidents and Superintendents of 
the Educational, Charitable, and Penal Institutions of the 
State; and last, but not least of all, I wish to thank the 
Bismarck Tribune Publishing Company, for the neat, at- 
tractive, and artistic make-up of the books — which is fully 
illustrative of what our own state press can do. 

ZENA IRMA TRINKA. 



(Reprinted from the De Luxe copy of book "North Dakota of Today" 
sent to Mrs. Roosevelt by the people of North Dakota.) 

TO MRS. THEODORE ROOSEVELT AND FAMILY 

We, the people of North Dakota, wisli to extend to you 
our heartfelt sympathy in your great bereavement, and beg 
you to accept the book ''North Dakota of Today" — Which we 
have dedicated to the memory of Ex-President Theodore 
Roosevelt — as a small token of the high esteem and respect 
in which we have always held him. 

If you coidd but know how lasting and tender a recol* 
tion he has left enshrined in the hearts of the people of this 
great state of ours — and all Ihe loving and gracious tributes 
that are offered his memory. Truly, Greatheart, the real 
AuKM-ican, lias passed from our midst. 

It is with pride that we note the fact that he first came 
to us in the ranks of that army of grim and determined men, 
who following the pathway of the setting sun came into this 
land of where the west begins — then undeveloped territory — - 
and turned its bleak and bare prairies into veritable gardens. 
It took men of dauntless courage, of abiding faith, men pos- 
sessed of sterling (pialities of real manhood, men brave to 
the last degree, to join that army of Empire Builders 

It is out here (»n these prairies, on these Idlls and fields^ 
that life and inspiiation and courage c^me to men — and 
they spoke to him in a tongue he well understood, they spoke 
in a voice that found a resjionsive chord in his heart — and 
Theodore Roosevelt went out from our midst, endowed with 
the vigor of our prairies, a man among men, to conquer neAv 
worlds. 



Xii XOUTJI 1)AK()TA OF ToDAY 

Out tlieie in that oreat arena of public lite, in that living- 
turmoil, his whole life Avas a rousing bugle-call to arms for 
the cause of right and justice and good citizenship; he was 
ever in tlic tliick of tight for a brighter tomorrow 1 — display- 
ing that same dauntless courage and tenacity of purpose 
that so characterized him, compelled our admiration and 
won our hearts when he dAvelt among us. 

And when he reached the highest i)iiinach' (»f success, 
won the most exalted position that life lias to olfer, that 
of the President of this great United States (d" ours, he 
forgot us not! — nay, not even the humblest of us — but from 
his lips, prompted by his generous heart, came the greatest 
tribute to North Dakota, when he said : "That if it had 
not been for his experiences in Kortli Dakota, he never 
would have become the President of the United States." 
It is a tribute to our state and a source of great pride to 
us, to be able to say that the greatest American of his time, 
a real American in the true sense of the word, once dwelt 
among us, was our neighbor — our friend I 

When we heard <»f his loss of the youngest of his heroic 
sons — Quentin Koosevelt, who like an eagle soared the sky 
for the cause of democracy, and like an eagle fell in his 
flight — our hearts went out to him and to his loved ones — 
we understood— for the World AVar had but drawn the bonds 
of American hearts in a closer tie. And we wish to say this 
to his loved ones: North Dakota loves you — these prairies, 
these hills, these flelds of ours, that spoke to him, ring out 
in their message of welcome and good cheer to you — for all 
times. 



To Mrs. Theodore Koosevelt and Family xiii 

We feel tliat this great state of oiii-s lias been the better 
for liis haying' lived here — his life has been an inspiration 
to us all — and we feel tliat his last message of greeting to 
us will fulfill its prophecy of good luck. Coming to us at 
this time, it seems like a benediction from him from across 
the "Great Divide." And some day — when we, too, have 
crossed tlie river of life, we hope to see our ''Teddy Roose- 
velt." standing on the other shore, smiling and holding out 
his hand to greet us, as in the <lays of yore ! 



CONTENTS 



Chapter Page 

I Where The West Begins 1 

II Bismarck : "Tlie Capital City" 5 

III Fargo: "The Biggest Little City In The World" 14 

IV Grand Forks: "The Commercial City" 21 

V Minot: "The Wonder City" 26 

VI Jamestown: "The City Beautiful" 33 

VII Valley City: "The Gem Of The Sheyenne Valley" 44 

VIII Dickinson: "The Queen City Of The Prairies" 51 

IX Mandan: "The City Of Enterprise" 59 

X Williston: "The City Of Opportunity" 66 

XI Devils Lake: "The Beauty Spot Of North Dakota" 72 

XII Wahpeton: "The Gateway Of The Northwest" 78 

XIII Grafton: "The City Of Prosperous Homes" 84 

XIV Lidgerwood: "The City Of Progress" 92 

XV Natural Beauties And Summer Resorts Of North Dakota . . 99 

XVI Communal Playmaking 116 

XVII The Little Country Theatre 125 

XVIII North Dakota In Literature And Art 137 

XIX Natural Resources Of North Dakota 152 

XX Social Legislation Of North Dakota 167 

XXI Educational Facilities Of North Dakota 182 

XXII Consolidated Schools 185 

XXIII North Dakota's Great War Conference 189 

XXIV Institutions of North Dakota 192 

XXV Holidays Of North Dakota 240 

XXVI North Dakota National Guard 245 

XXVII The State Flag 249 

XXVIII History Of The State Seal 251 

Epilogue 253 

Index 255 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



Page 

Theodore Roosevelt, American Frontispiece 

Where The West Begins 1 

Fourth Street Looking North, Bismarck, X. Dak 5 

Burleigh County Court House Facing Page 6 

A Shady Walk On Avenue A Facing Page 6 

Painted Woods Lake Facing Page 7 

The Auditorium, Bismarck, N. Dak 8 

McKenzie Hotel, Bismarck, N. Dak 10 

Homes in Bismarck, N. Dak 12 

Home-Ccming Parade and Victory Arch on Broadway, Fargo, N. D. 14 

Main Street, Fargo, N. Dak Facing Page 17 

Red River Scene, Fargo, N. Dak Facing Page 17 

Gardner Hotel, Fa: go, N. Dak Facing Page 17 

Oak Grove Park, Fargo, N. Dak Facing Page 17 

A Residence Street, Fargo, N. Dak 19 

Third Street, Grand Forks, N. Dak 21 

Ontario Dep't Store, Grand Forks, N. Dak 22 

River Scene on Red River, Grand Forks, N. Dak 23 

A Residence Street, Grand Forks, N. Dak 24 

Main Street, Minot, N. Dak 26 

Bird's Eye View of Minot 28 

Rive side Park, Minot, N. Dak 29 

Beautiful, Cozy Homes on the Hill, Minot, N. Dak 31 

Fifth Avenue Looking South, Jamestown, N. Dak 33 

Klaus Park, Jamestown, N. Dak 34 

Boating Scene, Jamestown, N. Dak 35 

Public School Garden, Jamestown, N. Dak 36 

Gladstone Hotel, Jamestown, N. Dak 38 

The Creamery, Jamestown, N. Dak 40 

Piivate Office in Jamestown Creamery 41 

General Office in Jamestown Creamery 42 

Valley City: The Gem Of The Sheyenne Valley 44 

Fifth Avenue, Valley City, N. Dak 46 

F!arnes County Court House, Valley City, N. Dak 47 

Business Street Scene, Valley City, N. Dak 48 

High and Public Schools, Valley City, N. Dak 49 



List of Ii.lustratioiss xvii 

Page 

Villard Street, Dickinson, N. Dak ^1 

Masonic Temple, Dickinson, N. Dak 53 

Methodist Church, Dickinson, N. Dak 54 

Public Library, Dickinson, N. Dak 57 

Where The Heart Flows Into The Missouri, Mandan, N. Dak 59 

Street Scene, Mandan, N. Dak 61 

Lewis & Clark Hotel, Mandan, N. Dak 62 

U. S. Experiment Station, Mandan, N. Dak 64 

Main Street, Williston, N. Dak 66 

Pontoon Bridge, Williston, N. Dak 68 

Williams County Court House, Williston, N. Dak 69 

A Residence Street, Williston, N. Dak '70 

Main Street, Devils Lake, N. Dak '^^ 

Bird's Eye View of Devils Lake, N. Dak 72 

Main Street, Devils Lake, N. Dak 75 

A Residence Street, Devils Lake, N. Dak '76 

Dakota Avenue Looking East, Wahpeton, N. Dak 78 

Richland County Court House, Wahpeton, N. Dak 79 

The City Hall, Wahpeton, N. Dak 80 

The Armory, Wahpeton, N. Dak 82 

Main Street, Grafton, N. Dak 84 

Walsh County Court House, Grafton, N. Dak 86 

A Residence Street, Grafton, N. Dak 89 

Leistikow Memorial Park, Grafton, N. Dak 90 

Main Street, Lidgerwood, N. Dak 92 

First National Bank, Lidgerwood, N. Dak 94 

Farmers' National Bank, Lidgerwood, N. Dak 95 

High and Public Schools, Lidgerwood, N. Dak 96 

A Residence Street, Lidgerwood, N. Dak 97 

Fantastic Carving of Weird Bluffs, Domes, and Castles in the Bad 

Lands 99 

Turrets and Piers of the Bad Lands 100 

Carved Peaks and Castles of the Bad Lands 101 

Ruins of Petrified Forests, Great Castles, and Lofty Columns of the 

Bad Lands 102 

Bird's Eye View of the Proposed Killdeer Mountain Park 103 

Medicine Hole, Killdeer Mountain Park 104 

Dead Man's Gulch, Killdeer Mountain Park 105 

Lookout Signal, Killdeer Mountain Park 106 

Beaver Damming a Stream, Killdeer Mountain Park 107 

Walhalla: The Garden of the Gods 108 



xviil LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS— Cont. 

Page 

Devils Lake Chautauqua Park 110 

Valley City, Chautauqua Park 113 

Prof. Frederick H. Koch, Founder and Director of Communal Play 

making 116 

Heralds Announcing the Tercentenary Masque: "Shakespeare, The 

Playmaker," at Bankside Theatre 117 

Randall Larson as "Verendrye," in "A Pageant of the North West 118 
Agnes O'Connor as "Ariel," in "Shakespeare, The Playmaker" .... 121 
"Caliban" (Benjamin Sherman), "Prospero" (Melvin Johnson), and 

"Miranda" (Harriet Mills), in "Shakespeare, The Playmaker" 123 
Prof. Alfred G. Arvold, Founder and Director of "The Little Country 

Theatre" 125 

Vestal Virgins, Presented in The Little Country Theatre 127 

The Servant in the House, Presented in The Little Country Theatre. . 128 
A Russian Honeymoon, Presented in The Little Country Theatre . . 129 

Sam Average, Presented in The Little Country Theatre 130 

Back to the Farm, Presented in The Little Country Theatre 132 

A Bee in a Drone's Hive, Presented in The Little Country Theatre 133 

Leonarda, Presented in The Little Country Theatre 135 

James W. Foley, Poet Laureate of North Dakota 137 

J. O. Rindahl, North Dakota Landscape Painter, At Work in Studio 149 

"From The Past," a Painting by J. 0. Rindahl 150 

Typical Harvest Scene in North Dakota 152 

The Satterland Mine in McLean County 155 

The Mine of the Mouse River Lignite Company, near Minot 157 

Pottery made from Tertiary Clays near Dickinson 159 

Typical Exposure of Pierre Shale 164 

Dr. Edwin F. Ladd, the Genius in Pure Food Work 167 

President Woodrow Wilson 189 

North Dakota State Capitol 192 

Museum of the State Historical Society 193 

Roosevelt Cabin, now on State Capitol Grounds 194 

Mrs. Minnie Clarke Budlong, Director Public Library Commission . 196 

State University, Grand Forks, N. Dak 200 

North Dakota Agricultural College, Fargo, N. Dak 203 

State Normal School, Valley City, N. Dak 206 

State Normal School, Mayville, N. Dak 208 

State Normal School, Minot, N. Dak 210 

State Normal School, Dickinson, N. Dak 211 

State School of Science, Wahpeton, N. Dak 212 

Normal-Industrial School, Ellendale, N. Dak 214 



List of Illustkations — rout. xix 

Page 

School of Forestry, Bottineau, N. Dak 216 

School for the Blind, Bathgate, N. Dak 218 

State School for the Deaf and Dumb, Devils Lake, N. Dak 222 

State Hospital for the Insane, Jamestown, N. Dak 224 

Institution for the Feeble Minded, Grafton, N. Dak 227 

State Penitentiary, Bismarck, N. Dak 230 

State Reform School, Mandan, N. Dak 232 

Soldiers' Home, Lisbon, N. Dak 234 

North Dakota National Guard at Fort Lincoln 244 

Mess Scene, First North Dakota Infantry 244 

The State Flag 249 

The State Seal 251 




CO 



NORTH DAKOTA OF 
TODAY 



(CHAPTER I. 



WHERE THE WEST BEGINS 

Out where the handclasp's a little stronger, 
Out where the smile dwells a little longer, 

That's where the West begins. 
Out where the sun is a little brighter. 
Where the snows that fall are a trifle whiter. 
Where the bonds of home are a wee bit tighter. 

That's where the West begins. 

Out where the skies are a trifle bluer, 
Out where friendship's a little truer. 

That's where the West begins. 
Out where a fresher breeze is blowing, 
Where there's laughter in every streamlet flowing, 

That's where the West begins. 

Out where the world is in the making, 
Where fewer hearts in despair are aching, 

That's where the West begins. 
Where there's more of singing and less of sighing. 
Where there's more of giving and less of buying. 
And a man makes friends without half trying 

That's where the west begins. 

— Arthur Chapman. 

The AVild AVest, the Far AVest— the AAVst of Owen AVis- 
ter's stories and Frederick Remington's drawings — the AVest 
of the Indians and the buffalo hunter, the soldier, and the 
cowpnncher — tliat land of the AA^est has gone now^^gone 
with last Atlantis" — gone to the Isle of ghosts and strange 
dead memories. It Avas a land of vast silent phices, of lonely 



2 XoRTii Dakota of Today 

rivers aiul of ]>laiiis wliere the game stared at the passing 
horseiuaii. It was a land of scattered ranches, of herds of 
long-horned cattle, and of reckless riders who unmoved 
looked into the face of death. 

The men worked under the scorching sun of midsummer, 
when the ^^•ide plans shimmered and wavered in the heat. 
They knew the freezing misery of riding night guard around 
the cattle in the late round-up. In the soft springtime the 
stars Avere glorious in their eyes as they fell asleep; and in 
the winter they rode through blinding blizzards, when the 
driven snow-dust burnt their faces. There were monotonous 
days as they guided the trail cattle or the beef herds, hour 
after hour, at the slowest of walks; and minutes of hours 
teeming with excitement as they stopjted stampedes or swam 
herds across rivers treacherous with (piicksands, oi- lirimme<l 
with running ice. They knew toil and hardshijts and hunger 
and thirst ; saw men die violent deaths as they worked among 
the herds of cattle, or fought evil feuds with one another; 
but they felt the beat of hardy life in their veins, and theirs 
was the glory of work and the joy of living. 

Many and varied are the clianges in North Dakota dur- 
ing the last forty years. From a l)oun(lless plain known only 
to the red man; with forests where the woodman's axe never 
resounded, nor the shrill whistle of the locomotive ever re- 
echoed, has grown a land boun<lless in advantage. Broad 
acres of well-cultivated fields, beautiful and convenient farm 
buildings, school houses by the score, where the young mind 
may be trained to the higher duties of life, numerous 
churches with their tall s])ires [tointiug heavenward — the 
chiiiu' of whose bells tells of Christ, the Kedeemei- : i-ailroads 



Where the West Begins 3 

spanning the entire country, schools, colleges and beautiful 
cities upon every side, all point to the progress of our state. 

Gone are the Indian tepees, with the bow, lance, shield, 
and dangling scalplocks. The buffalo is gone, and of his 
millions nothing is left, not even the bones. Tame cattle 
and fences of barbed wire have supplanted his vast herds and 
boundless grazing grounds. Those discordant serenaders — 
the wolves that howled at evening about the traveler's camp- 
tire, have succumbed to arsenic, and hushed their savage 
music. The wild Indian is turned into an ugly caricature of 
his conqueror, and that which made him romantic, terrible, 
and hateful, is in a large measure scourged out of him. The 
slow cavalcade of horsemen armed to the teetJi Las dis- 
appeared l)efore the parlor car and the comforts of modern 
travel. 

The old stage coach is gone, but its place is tilled by the 
rural mail routes Avliich bring the mail to the door of nearly 
every farm in the state. The ox team is no more in evidence, 
but this is overcome by the steam plow, the automobile, and 
other modes of doing quickly with ease what required pa- 
tience, effort, and liardship in pioneer days. With the tele- 
phone spanning tlie entire state — every city and village, and 
reaching its wires way into farming districts, great ad- 
vantages have resulted. Marvelous have been the changes — 
and wonderful the progress of our state, but to all this we 
must give credit to the pioneer who builded the foundation 
upon whicli the state has grown to its present proportions. 

North Dakota of today is truly a poor man's paradise, 
nowhere can lie rea^) the same advantages, and with her rich 
and vast de]M)sits of <-()al and clay, and her many, as yet unde- 



4 XoKTii Dakota of Today 

vcloped manufacturing possibilities, otters an unlimited field 
foi file Cajntalist. That North Dakota is alive to her possi- 
fiilities and imbued with a s])irit of commercial progress is 
best evidenced by tlie history of tlie enterprises and develop- 
ments of thirteen of her principal cities. 

In the matter of climate North Dakota has also under- 
gone a big change. The blizzards of early days are things 
of the past, serving merely as interesting reminiscences by the 
glowing hearth of a pioneer's home, on some winter's eve. 
This change is explained by the scientists as due to the cul- 
tivation of the soil, and a closer population. North Dakota 
is truly the "Sunshine State." Along with its abundant sun- 
shine, it has a lack of oppressive humidity, having a clear, 
bracing atmosphere, and an exhilarating air that puts the 
joy of living into one. 

North Dakota is still near enough to pioneer days to retain 
the strongly marked virtues, and hale, hearty cordiality of 
the brave men and women who conquered the wilderness — • 
and there comes a desire that more might know this North 
Dakota — this land little visited, and seldom told about — • 
where the coward never started and the weakling never 
came. The frontier called not laggards — but men who could 
boast of sterling (lualities and real manhood. This was 
God's countrv, fresh from the hands of the Maker. 




Fourth Street Looking North, Bismarck, N. Dak. 

CHAPTER II. 



BISMARCK: "THE CAPITAL CITY" 

Bismarck, the capital of North Dakota, and the "Peerless 
City" of tlie Missouri Slope Country, was founded May 14, 
1872. The then embryo town was situated a short distance 
below the present site of the city, being named Edwinton, in 
honor of Edwin S. Johnson, one of the promoters of the 
Northern Pacific Railroad. In June 1873 the road was com- 
pleted to Bismarck, or Edwinton as it was then called, but it 
was soon discovered that the lowlands south of the city 
flooded annually, and the track was changed and the city 
located upon tlie high ground of its present site, during the 
following year. Tlie name of the city was changed to Bis- 
marck to attract German capital. 

It is said tliat no peoi)le or locality can become truly 
great without tradition. If this be a true maxim, then the 



(> NoKTM Dakota of Today 

greatness of Bismarck is assurred. From the momentous 
l>oii()(l of its very beginning, Bismarck has seen all the ups 
and downs incident to pioneer life. At tliat early date the 
Indian tepees were not far distant, and the strenuosity of the 
"elements'' common to new towns on the outskirts of civil- 
ization made the little place typical of the dime novel hamlet. 
Soon the Black Hills craze broke out and Bismarck being 
the nearest j^oint of civilization to the gold fields, became 
the "jumping off place" for tlie thousands of people seeking 
fortune in the new El Dorado, and therefore became the 
outfitting })oint for those adventurous spirits. It was not 
a joy ride to the Black Hills and many fell victims to the 
hate of the red man, but still the tide flowed on until the 
railroad was built westward, and then the city settled down 
to the humdrum life of all frontier outposts. 

To the west and north and south of the city sweeps the 
majestic Missouri River, carrying with it reminiscences of 
bygone times, when Lewis and Clark in their menu)rable 
expedition to the West, struck camp among the friendly 
Mandans, Hidatas, and Arikaras of the North, and Sak- 
akawea the "Bird-Woman,'* fleet of foot and keen of per- 
ception consented to guide them beyond the sunset, over 
the wondrous passes of the Rockies, along the trail which 
led them to the Great Pacific. Then again the panorama 
changes, and we see Bismarck as the head of navigation; 
freight being shipped there and transferred to steamboats 
plying on the upper Missouri and Yellowstone rivers. Cap- 
tain Grant Marsh who died in a Bismarck hospital in 1915, 
was one of the first steamboat captains on these rivers, and 
has made himself noted for the marvelous trip in guiding the 




BURLEIGH COUNTY COURT HOUSE. 




A SHADY WALK ON AVENUE A. 



BisMAUcK : ''The Capital City" 7 

streamer "Far West" safely tliroiii!,li the i»ei-il()iis waters, with 
its precious burden of Reno's wounded, and carrying the 
first word of the Custer ]\Iassai're to the inliabitants of Bis- 
marck. Bismarck was the general headijuarters during the 
long war against the Sioux. Soldiers were brought here 
by rail and transferred for campaigns in the West by steam- 
boats. 

From those days to the present there has been attached 
to I>isniarck a strangely growing eminence among tlie cities 
of the Northwest. Bismarck became the county seat of Bur- 
leigh County when it was organized July 4, 1873, and made 
the Capital of the Territor}' of Dakota June 3, 1883. Gen- 
eral Grant laid the cornerstone of the Capitol at Bismarck 
in 1883, while on his way with a distinguished company to 
drive the golden spike which completed tlie Northern Paciiic 
Bailroad to the Pacific Coast. When the state of North 
Dakota Avas admitted into the Union, October 1, 1889, Bis- 
marck became the capital. Thus in the dawn of the great 
conimonwealth it was marked for fame and fortune. 

Today Bismarck has a i)opulation of 6,500. The city is 
tlie seat of the United States Land Office, seat of the United 
States Dei)artment of Justice, headcjuarters of the United 
States Bureau of Animal Industry, and location of the United 
States Weather Bureau. It is also the seat of the Sixth 
Judicial District of the state. Here also is located Fort 
}>incoln, the United States military post, with quarters for 
several hundred troops, as also the State Penitentiary. The 
city has s])lendid railroad facilities, the Northern Pacific 
reaching i)oints to the east, west, northwest and southwest; 
while the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie comes in 
fi-om the southeast and i)asses to the north and northwest. 



8 North Dakota of Today 

The Soo Liue also lias its Iti-aiich lierc. Twenty-four pass?- 
enger trains arrive and depart daily, thus affording connec- 
tion with the rajndly develo})ing agricnltnral district in the 
i^orthwest. 

Bismarck is the heanpiarters for the lleiiton Packet 
Co., the largest steaml);)at line oiterating on the Missouri 
River north of Kansas City. The city is also the head- 
quarters for fifty wholesale and jobl)ing houses, covering 
nearly half of the state, and parts of ^lontana and South 
Dakota, and employing (»ver .'iOO traveling salesmen, as also 
one of the largest dairy an<l ])oultry centers in the state, 
paying half a million dollars to the farmers annually for 
produce. It is one of the largest distributing centers in the 
state for automobiles, and farm machinery. 




THE auditorium. BISMARCK. N. D. 

Among the public buildings i)eiha])s the most notable is 
the $90,000 Municipal Auditorium, which is admittedly one 
of the handsomest and best appointed playhouses fn the 
Northwest, and one of the few structures owned by the 
public in the Ignited States. The Public Lil)rary building 
recently completed at a cost of |30,000 is one of the finest 
pieces of architecture in the middle west. There is a tine 
federal building in the citv that cost .1^ir)0,0()(). that houses 



Bismarck: "The Caitpal City" 9 

the federal court, the hiiul ot'tice, and other federal depart- 
ments besides the postoftice. The masonic bodies possess a 
fine Temple, valned at |40,000, the bnilding being very com- 
pletely finished, having besides its lodge hall, club rooms and 
parlors on the first floor, also a large dining room and kitchen 
modernly e(iuipped, being a most appreciated arrangement 
in giving social affairs. Here also is a large armory, the 
home of Com])any A. 

rUsmarck has everything enjoyed by its eastern sisters 
in the way of utilities: steam heating plant; electric light 
and power plant; gas works; local and long distance tele- 
phone systems; two telegraph companies; water works, and 
ample fire protection throngh tliis, and an efficient fire de- 
partment ; storm and sanitary sewers, paved streets in the 
business district, and also the unique distinction of possess- 
ing the only state-owned electric street car line in the United 
States. 

The schools are Bismarck's pride. In addition to the 
large first class high schopl, there are two large grade schools. 
The high school is modern in every respect and fully equipped 
with the last word in apparatus and necessities for higher 
education. The building alone without the site cost |50,000. 
The teaching force consists of thirty-four teachers besides the 
superintendent and assistant; the school enrollment being 
over one thousand. Each building has large grounds fitted 
with proper play-ground fixtures. Here also is located the 
well-known Bismarck Business College, as well as the United 
States Indian School located on the banks of the Missouri 
River, which makes an educational home for a hundred or 
more male and female children of the prairies. 

An institution of marked value is the night school, which 



10 



XoKTii Dakota of Today 



oripiiatod in 11)10, and is lield five evenings of every week, 
ott'ering <>i)iK))-tnnity to t'oreioners wlio are obliged to work 
in the day time, and who, thongli proficient in other lan- 
guages, are not so in lOnglish. The enthusiasm which is ac- 
tuating tlie school has caused an enrcdlment of over one 
hundred, and resulted in a great success. Realizing that 
foreigners of this class are music lovers, music is made a 
feature of every session, many musicians of the city offering 
their services in helping to foster this invaluable taste. The 
Department of Immigration at Washington is deeply inter- 
ested, its representative having visited the school and ex- 
pressed unbounded i)leasnr«' in its work already rich in 
vital results. 







ur 



McKenzie Hotel, Bismarck, N. D. 



To meet the needs of the many travelers who come to 
Bismarck, four large hotels an<l niany smaller hostelries are 
at tlie service of the public. The city has three strong banks 
to take care of its business interests and assist new industries. 
Imi)osing structures are the two large hospitals, which main- 
tain schools for nurses: The Evangelical Hospital erected 



Bismarck: "Tup: Capital City'^ 11 

at a cost of |200,000, and the St. Alexius Hospital built at 
a cost of |1T5,00() by the Sisters of St. Benedict. Both are 
most modern in every ecjuipment known to medical science. 
Bismarck is the home of churclies of almost every denomina- 
tion. 

Bismarck is at the junction of the National I'ark Hinh- 
v.ay, better known as the Bed Trail, the Black Trail, the 
Gieat Plains Highway and the Aberdeen Trail. There are 
many beautiful drives to outing- spots about the city, the 
^'Sourh <'ircle," being,' perhaps the most notable This has 
been bujit by the county and federal ai<l, and ini-lndes a visit 
to J^)rt Lincoln, and on i)ast the sheltered farms, ;,'id fields 
of corn, wlieat, alfalfa and other grains, over the rolling 
hills, where herds of cattle are seen grazing, and back along 
beautiful Ap})le Creek, where Gen. Sibley defeated tlie In- 
dians in 1863. Other drives can be taken along the "'Bottoms" 
lying lower than the adjacent plateau, and splendidly wooded, 
behind Axliich lies the gleaming river, a strip of silver in the 
mellow sunlight. To the north of the city is the charming 
Painted Woods Lake Park, where there is a large patronage 
at the hotel lately built, and Avhere fishing and boating and 
hunting is excellent. To the scmtli is Long Lake, where 
hunting is particularly good; and then off to the south, be- 
yond the bend of the river, is Sibley Island, a landmark 
now owned by the federal government, and set apart as a 
national park. It is the intention to have this place perma- 
nently improv(Ml, and its historic associations preserved. 
Steps have already been taken, and a resort Ituilt on the bank 
opi)osite the island, where the river view is superl). It 
was here that Gen Sibley encamped for several days after 



12 



North Dakota of Today 



the battle of Apple Creek, wliile vainly waitiiio- for Gen- 
Siilly\s troops to make their appearance. 

On the west side of the city, on the hit>her grounds 
above the swift-rolling- Missouri is the Country Club house, 
which commands a tine view of the city and i)resent Fort 
Lincoln, as well as of the site of old h'ort Lincoln, from which 
in 187C, Custer and his gallant coiiimand went forth to 
their massacre. Social life at the Club house is more or 
less quivive, and many are the elaborate entertainments 





Homes in Bismarck, N. D. 

given, although it is the ])rin('ipal of the club roster to keep 
its affairs in true sjiorts style, sim])le and attractive. Mem- 
bers use tlie house for entertainment however, and these may 
be as elegant as host or hostess may elect. The golf grounds 
and tennis courts are among the best in the state. Baseball 
also has its enthusiasts, and a tine park and ])ayilion have 
been provided for tliis engrossing sport neai- the capitol 
buildiuff. 



Bismarck: "The Capital City" 13 

Social life is one of Bisinairk's chief attractions. The 
city is a musical center, and during the season enjoys the 
productions of the greatest musical artists in the country 
through grand opera, soloists, and orchestras. The municipal 
auditorium has made the presence of these great features 
possible; and in addition to these all the large theatrical 
companies appear at this house. Besides the auditorium 
there are three first-class photo play houses, thus affording 
dramatic amusement to suit all tastes and purses. Mental 
activities are given scope through the numerous women's 
clubs, civic societies, and musical associations. 

The exposition building at Bismarck has been the scene 
of some wonderful <lisplays of agricultural i)roducts ever 
shown in the Northwest, and patronized by visitors from this 
and other states. It is supplied with a small theater as an 
added attraction during the exposition. On the State Ca^ntol 
grounds stands the Roosevelt cabin, which was purchased 
by the World's Fair Commission and exhibited at St. Louis 
and Portland, and later moved to the Capitol grounds. Here 
also stands the bronze statue of Sakakawea, the "Bird 
Woman." In the Capitol building are the headquarters of 
the State Historical Association, which maintains a museum 
where may be seen many interesting relics of North Dakota 
earlv davs. 




Home Coming Parade and Victory Arch on Broadway, July 31, 1919 
CHAPTER III. 



FAlidO: -TIIK KIGGEST LITTLE (^ITY IX THE 

Fai*^'*) llic larc'ost citv aii<I iiu^tropolis of Noi-tli Dakota, 
lias a population of 21,.")4!l, is the Coiiiitv seat of Gass Goimty, 
aiul situatp<l on the Red River of the North at the eastern 
l)onn(lary of the state. l>y reason of the vast amount of 
business transacted in the city and the fact that this is 
evident at tirst lilance, Fargo is well naiueil : "Tlie Rigucst 
Little Gity in the World." It is the head«iuarters of several 
liundred traveling men. The ''Do'' s])irit is everywhere in 
evidence. "I'oiw ard" is the wateliward, and the city is 
rapidly marching onward to a "Greater I'^argo"; its popula- 



Far(;(): "The Biggest Little ('ity in the World" 15 

tioii haviiij>' nearl.v doiiltlcd in the last ten years. The ad- 
vantages of wliicli l''ai<i<) may be jnstly proud are many. 
They exist in various lines — educational, religious, agricul- 
tural, mercantile and manufacturing. 

In a manufactui-ing way, Fargo is well represented ; and 
the number and variet}- of manufacturing plants in the city 
is rapidly increasing. Today the city has eighty-five manu- 
facturing plants, turning out various forms of manufactured 
articles. Fargo is an unusually large distributing point for 
agricultural implements, and in this respect is only second 
to Kansas City. There are sixteen automobile agencies cov- 
ering a large area of territory in the district. The city has 
twenty-tive concerns, distributing and wholesale houses in 
other lines, and j()l)bing interests number Ujtwards of sixty. 
Fargo also has large department stores and several smaller 
concerns engaged in similar lines, while the smaller lines of 
mercantile activity are fully re])resented, and doing a thriving 
business. Twenty-five of the lai-gesst farm niacliinery houses 
in the country have branches in Fargo. 

There are three ZS^ational Banks and three State Banks, 
two Trust ('ompanies, and one Savings & Loan Association. 
These banking institutions have capital and surplus totaling 
nearly two million dollars — an amount ecpial to four dollars 
to every man, woman, and child in the city. Fargo also has 
a clearing house. The clearances for the i)ast year were f40,- 
000 a record which many cities east, with even a largei- ])<>})- 
ulati<tn, cannot e(|ual. 

Fargo has threi^ daily ne\\s]>apers and live weekly i)ub- 
lications; three large and u])-to-date hotels, with a dozen 
or more smaller ones, a $100,000 V. M. (\ A. building; eight 
lios]»itals, of the latest modern e(]uii)ment; and churches of 



Fargo: "The Biggest Little City in the World" 17 

all (leiioiiiiuations me represented, the Lnthenui, Presby- 
tei-iaii, Coiigi-egatioiial. Catholic and Episcopal, leading; and 
all having splendid editices which add greatly to the attrac- 
tion of the city. In all there are thirty church.es. 

The business district of Fargo covers an area of approx- 
imately twenty square blocks, with two main streets, and 
dozens of modern business buildings, including several of 
steel and stone construction. The streets are well lighted, 
having a brilliant white way, and well paved. The city has 
19 miles of electric <ar line connecting the city with Moorhead 
and Dihvoi-th. Ilroadway in Fargo with its steady, never- 
ending stream of i)eople passing back and forth, the auto- 
mobiles, street cars, and various other conveyances crossing 
and re-crossing from all directions, has all the aspect of the 
busy thoroughfare in our large Eastern cities. Skirting the 
business district are many miles of boulevards, and hundreds 
of beautiful residences nestling cozih' among the many shade 
trees of the residence districts. 

Among the public buildings in Fargo, are principal I;. , 
the North Dakota Agricultural College, in conjunction with 
which institution there is a demonstration farm and experi- 
ment station; the government building and postoftice erected 
at a cost of |100,000, which is entirely inadetpiate to the 
current needs, and is soon likely to be replaced with a larger 
building ;a Masonic Temple costing |125,000, which is fourth 
largest exclusive building of its kind in the United States ; 
a .f 150,000 Court House that is free from debt, tliree public 
libraries ; a filtration plant erected at a cost of 1250.000 ; a 
city hall, and many splendid school buildings e(iuipped with 
the latest in educational lines. 

Chief among Fargo's educational institutions is the State 



18 XoRTii Dakota of Today 

Agi-icultui-al ('(tllegv. whose enrollment, now exceeding; 1200 
pupils, is incieasiug at the rate of approximately one hundred 
annually. The ''Better Farming" methods now ruling in the 
state are largely the results of the efforts of the institution — 
one which ranks eijual to any similar institution in the Union. 
Otlu'i- colleges are Fargo College, (Congregational); Luth- 
eran Seminary, for girls; Sacred Heart Academy, (Catholic) ; 
Dakota Business College; Aaker's Business College, a cen- 
tral high school ; nine ])ublic schools, and two conservatories 
of music complete the list of the city's excellent educational 
institutions. 

Fargo has excellent railroad facilities, being on the main 
lines of the Northern Paciiic and Great Northern Bailways. 
Being situated 242 miles west of the nearest distributing 
l)oint. as a wholesale center it has the advantage of from 21 
to 'M) hours in time required to reach all points in North 
Dakota, northern JMinnesota. Montana, and western ])oints. 
This is a great advantage, as it enables Fargo to deliver goods 
to customers this much quicker, then towns further east. 
In 11)17 tlnue was sold through the jobbing houses of Fargo 
over fT, 000, 000 worth of goods. Some of the joblxM-y and 
wholesale houses e(|ual in size those of cities many times 
as large, an<l the trade carries out an immense radius, the 
shipping facilities and rates enabling these concerns to com- 
pete successfully with the great houses of St. I*aul, Duluth, 
and Chicago. 

As a social center, Fargo leaves nothing to be desired. 
There is a commercial club which maintains si)lendid quarters 
for the men ; many women's clubs, whose various activities 
have resulted in a pleasant social intercourse; and for those 
who love to stroll, or feast tlieir eA'es on beauties of nature, 



Fau(;(): "The J>i(;gest Little City in the Woiuj)" 11) 

there is beautiful Island J*ark aroinid wliicli the Ked Kiver 
winds its Avay, and the long branches of the trees east their 
reflection in the clear water of the river; then there is equally 
beautiful Oak Grove l*ark. Excursions, picnics, and various 
outiuiis are held at these parks, where boating and bathing- 
facilities offer recreation to many. 

Then there are two exclusive vaudeville houses that cater 
to a large ])atr;)nage, and whose programs consist of the 
best talent obtainable. Besides there' are several smaller 




A Residence Street, Fargo, N. D. 

])laces of amnsement, ])hoto ]>lay theatres, where a high class 
of i)ictures are shown. At the Oi)era House, large attractions 
from the East are staged, and artists, and musicians of note 
include Fargo in their circuit. The big Auditorium, whose 
seating cajjacity is HOOO, is the scene of many conventions 



20 North Dakota of Today 

and state gatherings of various kinds. In the past few years 
Fargo lias become the recognized ''Convention Citj'' of North 
Dakota. 




Third Street, Grand Forks, N. D. 
CHAPTER IV. 



GRAND FORKS : ''THE COMMERCIAL CITY" 

Tlie city of Grand Forks is the county seat of Grand 
Forks County, and the commercial metropolis of a territory 
of AVhicli the famous Red River Valley, the "Bread Basket 
of the World," is the center, and which extends on one side 
to the Rocky Mountains and on the other to the Pine Forests 
of Minnesota. 

Grand Forks has a population of 15,896, a population 
which has grown steadily since the little hamlet at "The 
Forks" was started, and which is increasing today more 
rapidly than ever. The original settlement was an important 
one in the early days because, through the then existing 
means of transportation, it was a convenient trading center; 
and in the later years the position it occupies as the center of 



22 North Dakota of Today 

a vast network of railroads, lias enabled the city to hold 
and increase this advantage. 

Excellent railroad service is i)r()vided directly b}' the 
Great Xorthern, Northern Pacific, and Soo roads, with which 
the city has close and convenient connection. Local transit 
is provided by a modern street railway system, which reaches 




Ontario Department Store, Grand Forks, N. D. 

all parts of the city and which w;is built by local capital 
and is operated by local business men. 

Grand Forks is the seat of the T^niversity of North Da- 
kota, which gives special training to more than one thousand 
students yearly. Adjoining the University, is Wesley college, 
a ]\[etliodist institution whose students take their secular 
work at the University, the college thus being enabled to de- 
vote all its funds and all its efforts to its own special work. 

The city schools are well equipped for work. The plan 
includes six modern, fully equipped grade buildings and one 
high scliool building. The Grand Forks High School has 
tlie largest enrollment and attendance of any high school 
in the state. A new |250,000 building suitable to the needs 
of tlie city is now under construction. 

Among the public buildings, the most notable is the 



Grand Forks : ''The Co:\r:\iERCiAL City'^ 23 

Grand Forks County Coiiit House, which was recently erected 
at a cost of |200,000, and is nndoubtedly one of the finest 
public buildings in tlie state. Among other fine buildings 
is the imposing Masonic Temple; the new, artistic and fully 
equipi^ed Public Library ; the Y. M. C A. building erected at a 
cost of 1100,000 ; the two modern excellently equipped hos- 
l)itals; the numerous fine churches, with a second Catholic 
church recently constructed; the Federal Building and the 
City Hall. The city owns its own waterworks plant, public 
slaughter house, insinerator and lighting plant. Commercial 
light and power are furnished by a private company. All of 
the local banks are located in good quarters, one of them 
iu a new steel structure just completed. Bank deposits av- 
erage 15,000,000. 




River Scene on Red River, Grand Forks, N. D. 

Twenty-five miles of the city's streets are paved with 
modern paving and excellent automobile roads radiate from 
the city in every direction. The Public Park Sj^stem in- 
cludes four parks, with an area of over two hundred acres, 
all equipped with tennis courts and club houses, and one of 
them with golf links. Band concerts are given by the local 
band during the summer months. Tobogganing and skatiug 



24 



North Dakota of Today 



aic i»i'()vi(le(l for in the winter. Tliere are several photo play 
houses which with their high class programs cater to a large 
])ublic. At the auditoriiini the best and the latest in music 
and drama is presented during the season, thus bringing 
some of the world's best musical celebrities, and dramatic 
features before a discriminating and appreciative public. 

In a manufacturing way Grand Forks is represented by 
several factories which arc doing si)len(lid business, and a 




A Residence Street, Grand Forks, N. D. 



new million dollar Packing I'lant is under course of con- 
struction. In view of the city's splendid location, with the 
wonderful agricultural resources of this section, there is a 
great future ahead, an<l within another decade, the pojju- 
lation of the city will easily reach 25,0t)0. Numerous fac- 
tories are at the ])resent time negotiating for building sites. 
Tlie locality is ])articularly adapted to those factories Miiich 
secure tlieir raw material from the agricultural tield. There 



Grand FouKs: "The Commercial City'^ 25 

is at tlie present time no better opening in the United States 
for a straw board factory than in the city of Grand Forks. 

Grand Forks is noted for its many lovely homes. The 
general trend has been toward constant betterment in resi- 
dential construction, and not content with exterior embell- 
ishment in bnildings and grounds, the interior demonstrates 
the culture and retinement of the owners. Hospitalit}" is 
manifest and manifold, and mental activities given scope 
through the medium of the numerous clubs, and Civic and 
Musical activities, thus bringing the social life of the city 
on an exalted plane, and offering a splendid environment 
to the many students that annually make it their hcmie while 
attending the State Universitv. 




Mciin Street. Aliiiul, N. I). 

("HA1»TER y. 



MIXOT: ^'THE WOXDER CITY" 

From a seemingly iiicoiispiciious little town, a mere 
hamlet in the nineties, Minot has s])rnng- forth, almost over- 
night into a large thriving city. The change has been so 
phenominal that tliose wlio knew Minot a few years ago, can 
scarcely credit their eyes, that this bnsy thoronghfare with 
its hub and rnstle and stir and life is really Minot. Ilonses 
liave seemed to have sprung u]) over night. Indeed the 
cliange has been so rapid, that the newcomer rubs his eyes, 
wondering if he is not dreaming it all. But the noise of 
])assing cars, mingled with the echo of the pounding of the 
liammer of tlie carpenters, the crowded street, the throngs 
of i)eople ell)owing their way past one, all proclaim a sound 
reality. Xo wonder visitors have nicknamed Minot "The 
AVonder (Mty." for it had truly undergone a wonderful trans- 
foi-mation. 



Minot: ''The Wonder City" 27 

]\riiiot, tlie county seat of AVaid Comity, has a population 
of approximately 15,000 people. It was ineorporated as a 
city in 188G, and lies in the valley of the Mouse River, near 
the southern end of the famous Mouse River Loop. This val- 
ley is about one mile in width and the river tiows through 
the city. 

The railway facilities of this '*W()ud(M- City" insure iis 
future. It being located on the two trunk lines — The 800 
Line and the Great Northern. Both pass through Minot and 
each of these roads have branch lines that reach every por- 
tion of North Dakota and eastern Montana, so that the city 
is enabled to guarantee to distributoi-s the best of freight 
service. Minot is approximately 500 miles from the twin 
(dties and al)out 1000 miles by rail from Chicago. There are 
only ten transcontinental railway systems crossing the con- 
tinent of North America. Four of them cross North Dakota 
and two pass through Minot, and there are Iavo more north 
of the city. 

Minot is the gatewaj' for a vast coal field, lignite coal 
being' mined in commercial (piantities within six miles of 
the city limits. The Northern Bri(pietting Conipan}' of Minot 
was the tirst successful plant to manufacture lignite coal 
into briquettes in the United States, and it is turning out 
frcmi 50 to 70 tons of bri(iuettes a day, and has resulted in 
a thriving industry. The capacity of the plant is 180 tons 
every twenty-four hours. At present the lignite is mined 
and coked outside the city, hence the valuable gas product is 
entirely lost. 

The fiour mill industry is the most important manufac- 
turing industry in the city, the product of Minot flour mills 
being sold in all parts of the Ignited States, as well as en- 



28 



North Dakota of Today 



joying an export demand. Among the wholesale houses that 
are prospering in the city at the present time are : grocers, 
frnit and inoduce, lish. sash and doors; besides, all the prin- 
cipal manufacturers of agricultural implements have whole- 
sale or distributing agencies in the city that do an aggregate 
business of over |10,000,0()0 a year. Two of the largest tire 
concerns in the United S*^^ates have recently made this their 




Bird's Eye View of Minot, N. D. 

distributing center and maintain a large stock of goods as 
well as service statioTi here. 

The general offices of the Rogers Lumber Company, with 
its branch lines throughout North Dakota, are located at 
Minot, having removed their offices from Minneapolis, owing 
to the sui)erior advantages afforded by Minot's location for 
directing their business. The Pipper-Howe Lumber Com- 
pany also maintains general offices in this city. 

One (>f the most important factors in the growth of the 
city arc tlic smaller manufacturing plants, which give steady 
em})l()ymcnt to an ever-increasing nund)er of employees. The 



MiXOT 



'The AVondeu City" 



29 



products of tiiese ])laiits liiid a irjinlar market tlironghoiit this 
territory, and with the steady demand for the products 
which tliey manufacture, they are sure to gro\y into larger 
and more ini])ortant industries. The six hanking institutions 
of tlie city at tlie close of business in 191S sli()\yed deposits 




Riverside Park, Minot, N. D. 



of nearly 15,000,000, and are Ayell able to take care of the 
financial requirements of new industries. 

Minot is located on tlie Wonderland Trail, the Black 
Trail, and the Green Trail, so that all tourists who are trav- 
eling in the Northwest are sure to be Minot visitors. During 
the last year the motor tourists thi-oughout tlie northwest 
have all included the "Wonder City" in their itinerary, and 



30 XouTii Dakota of Today 

some of tlie l)e?>t advertising secured by the city lias been the 
words of ]n-aise of those tourists to their friends upon their 
return h(iiii(\ TIk^ "Night Cam]),"" which was originated by 
tlie ^linot Town Criers" Club early in 1917, is in no small 
way resi)onsible for the good opinion which the motorists 
carried away with them. The club secured the use of 15 
acres o])posite Riverside Park, furnished drinking water^ 
guides for the use of tourists, free fuel for cooking meals^ 
liad the camp electric lighted, and did everything for the 
comfort and convenience of the visitors, all being furnished 
without cost to the motorist. 

Tributary to the city for hundreds of miles the thrifty 
husbandmen seed and harvest their remunerative cro))s, and 
in these ])ros])erous farmers, Minot tinds assurance of her 
future prosj)erity. Probably no other city in the state is more 
lavishly su]>i)lied with trees than Minot. Large oak trees, as 
well as those of otlier varieties fui-nish abundance of shade 
and shelter, immediately Ix^vond the hills, on both sides of 
the river are broad ])rairies, extending for miles on the south 
side, and away up to Canada on the north. 

The Mouse River furnishes pleasuralile boating and bath- 
ing dui-ing the summer time, and excelh^it skating and other 
Avinter sjjorts in the winter. The city is noted for its parks, 
having an acre of i»ark for every 100 of its inhabitants. The 
largest ])ark is ]\iverside I'ark, situated in the southeast part 
of the city. It contains T>'2 acres, and with its excellent auto- 
mol»ile drive and beautiful natural scenery, it is the pleasure 
ground of the city. The automobile road follows the Mouse 
River. East of Riveiside I'ark is the new "Forest Drive,"' 
just gi-aded by the ]>ark commission, and by all means one 
of the most beautiful diMves in the state, winding its wav 



MiXOT 



'The W()NI)p:u City 



31 



by tlie iside of tlie river, and thi"()iii»h luajestic (dm and oak 
trees. In the west of the city is situated Oak L'ark, an at- 
tractive park of 1- acres, greatly appreciated for its picnic 
facilities and admired for its restfnlness and (juiet beanty. 
Lincoln Park of 15 acres, as yet not nincli developed, is lo- 
cated on the north side, near the State Normal School. The 
park board also controls abont three acres of wooded banks 
along the river in Eastwood I*ark resi<lence section, and nn- 



^ 1 


• f 










L. 


HL^wh 


S 


'" '^' ' 



Beautiful Cozy Homes on the Hill, Minot, N. D. 



donbtedly some day in the near fntnre will provide for parks 
and playgronnds on the South Hill. 

There are sixteen chnrches in Minot, i)ractically all de- 
nominations are represented, also three hospitals, modern 
in every way ; and a new one being organized, and a well- 
eqnip])ed Public Library. Tlie liall mark of success of any 
city is its educational facilities, and in this resjiect Minot 
is well-supplied, having ample grade and high schoobs, and 



32 XoKTH Dakota of Today 

the second iaii^est normal srlionl in the state. Practically 
all the leading fraternal ordeis <if the country are represented 
hei'e, thns enabling the newcomer or visitor to the city, an 
opportunity of meeting' and mingling with fellow lodge 
members. 




'*-lK3t . i 




Fifth Avenue Looking South, Jamestown, N. D. 
CHAPTER VI. 



JAMESTOWN: ''THE CITY BEAUTIFUL" 

Jamestown the coiinty seat of Stutsman Connty has a 
jjopnlation of approximately 7500, and is situated on the main 
line of the Northern Pacific Railroad, abont one hundred 
miles in the interior of the state. It was one of the very first 
cities founded in the state. From the first one idea seemed 
paramount, which makes a city worth livin*]^ in, namely, to 
have it one of the most attractive and scenic spots in the state. 
It is in a huge valley, surrounded by hills, which even in their 
natural dress add charm to the city, nestling- in their arms. 
They admit of endless beautitication. This passion possessed 
the founders, and when the city was laid out, Dr. Grey, the 
noted editor of the greatest religious weekly in America, from 



34 



NoKTii Dakota of Today 



Chi('aj><>, sstddd on tlic eastern liilK now tlie site of one of 
the ii;reatest collc-jLies in the state, and in sheer admiration, 
exclaimed: ''llow l»eautifnl I Here some «laY will I»e built 
one of the tiiu^st institntions of the Xoithwest." His ])redic- 
ticsi has come true. 




Klaus Park, Jamestown, N. D. 



No wonder, therefoi-e, that the city has naturally taken 
on the slogan, "The City Ueantifnl."" And trn.e to that early 
ideal the evidences of lariic |»roui-ess alcnu this liiK^ are mani- 
fest. l^\)i- (waniple, the city is literally snrronndeil with parks. 
Tliere is Nickens Park, a chaiininii circular i^reen sward, eiu- 
braced in the arms of the -lames Kiver, after which the city 
is named, and dotted \\ith trees; tliere is also Klaus Tark, 
nioie extensive than Xickeus, a \\oiulerfully artistic spot, 
skirted on one side by the river, and reachini^ out to the foot 
of tlie hills, covered with beautiful ehns, cinder and gravel 



.Ia^me.stowx : ''The City Beaitiful" 



35 



drives, and approached l)v a beantifid Inidj^e; there is the 
now famous Lover's Lane, tiankini; the eity on the south, 
througli which autos, as well as lovers, love to wind in and 
out of the tortuous drives and loop the loop, tlie Avhole park 




Boating Scene, Jamestown, N. D. 



thronoed Avith elegant elms and elders, both native in this lo- 
cality. 

Then, there are other i)arks, as the City Park, the Meth- 
odist Camp gi-ounds wliicli nearly unite Xickeus and Klaus 
parks, and sui)erl) drives up to the College Drive and the 
State Hospital, all giving the city the aspect of peace and 
contentment and artistic taste, a profound love for the beau- 
tiful. IMato said tliat "the beautiful is the splendor of the 
true." It is that splendor, the city is striving after. This is 
also seen in the l)cautiful i-esidences, of wliirli over six hun- 



36 



XouTH Dakota of Today 



dred have been built dnriiiji the last five yeais, and the beau- 
tiful stieets rapidly being lined Axith curbing and trees. 

But beauty is not the only attraction of the city, prob- 
ably not even the greatest. Prosperity is the foundation of 
any city beautiful. Jamestown claims the exceptionally large 
and well-managed State Hospital. It is the division point of 
the Northern Pacific, with large car shops employing a great 
force of men. It has a beautiful Midland rontinental Depot 
and is the liead(iuarters of that system, calculated to run fr<mi 












Public School Garden, Jamestown, N. D. 

AYinnipeg, Canada, to the gnlf, as a great outlet for the 
grains of the north. 

Eight years ago the Commercial clnb undertook to aid the 
Presbytei-ian Synod of North J)akota in the re-opening of the 
Jamestown Coliciie wliich had been closed for some sixteen 
3ears. The success of that remarkable institution is but an 
echo of the jtrogress and develoi)ment of the city and the 



Jamestown : "The City Beautiful^' 37 

state. During- this brief period eight beautiful buildings, at 
a cost, with tlie campus, of some |325,000 have been erected, 
surrounded witli drives, walks, Allen Athletic Field, making 
a cami)us ground one of the finest of its kind in the North- 
west. An endowment of |350,000 has also been raised, in 
which the citizens of the city had no little part. The college 
is crowded with students preparing themselves for citizen- 
ship in the commonwealth. This great college is the pride 
of the State, exhibitive of the thrift, educational ideals and 
spirits of the peopb;. 

In the matter of educational facilities, Jamestown takes 
the lead with the best in the state. Besides the noted James- 
town College, it is the home of St. John's Academy, an in- 
stitution known all over the state. Then there are fine pub- 
lic schools, modern, fully equipped, employing a large and 
efficient corps of teacliers. The public schools alone present 
an investment of |200.000. Ten churches of practically all 
denominations are located here, as also the splendid Trinit}' 
Hospital under the care and management of the sisters, rep- 
resenting an investment of •|(>0,000. The Gladstone Hotel, 
erected at a cost of .f 1.50, 000, run on the American plan, and 
several hotels run on tlie Eurojiean plan, meet the needs of 
a large traveling public. 

Two great trunk sewer systems have been installed, mak- 
ing the city a sanitary community. Over a million dollars 
have been spent on public improvements. The city has a 
brilliant white way, electric power plant, excellent water 
works, and other facilities. Three exceptionall}' strong banks 
take care of the business interests of the city, and lieli* pro- 
mote new industries. The aggregate deposits are |2,r)00,000. 



38 



XoKTii Dakota of Today 



Among the i)iil)lic buildings in Jamestown, is the splendid 
City Hall, bnilt at a cost of |r)(). ()()(). the (Mtv Arnun-y, cost- 
ing 130,000, and the imposing sti-nctiire of the Connty Court 
House. The ne\y Public Library recently completed \yhich 
cost |40,000 is one of the finest ^buildings of its kind in the 
state from a stand])oint of ai-chitectural beauty. The Masonic 
Ixxlics ]M)ssess a tine temple costing |()0,000. Then there is 




Gladstone Hotel, Jamestown, N. D. 



the lOlk's Hall, and the lOagU's Hall, each i('i)iesenting a.n 
inyest incut of .^.'id.OOO. The V. S. (xoyernment has purchased 
a central site fur a federal building, which is to cost approx- 
iuiately .S'jr.li.,000. 

].(>ca(e(] at lamestowu is one of the large ll(»ur mills 
of the ]\usscll-Miller ^lilling Co., a yery expensiye modern 
plant, with a <laily capacity of 1000 barrels. One of the ne\y 
industries that promises a great future for- Jamestown is 



. Jamestown : "The City Beautiful'^ 39 

the Bri(l<>eimiii-Kiissell Co. Creamery, whicli was reeeiitly 
erected at a cost of |(30,000. Situated in tli*^ midst of a dairy 
farming- commnnity, it promises AV<»nderfnl possibilities. The 
Jamestown branch is the property of the Bridgeman-Riissell 
Co., of Dnlnth, wliich operates a nnmber of creameries in 
different parts of tlie Northwest. They liave a network of 
agents spread over the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Xorth 
and Sontli Dakota, Montana and Michigan, and these bnyers 
of cream direct the flow to tlie nearest centralizer, like the 
creamery in Jamestown. 

On the tirst floor of the Jamestown plant is the factory 
of the creamery. Here the cream is received direct from the 
farmers' antos and wagons, and the two express offlces of 
the Northern Paciflc and Midland railroads, a block away. 
The cans are individnally weighed, a sample taken and tested, 
and then tlie contents are started on their tortuous journey 
of puriflcation and manii)nlation, later to emerge golden 
yelloAV butter, ready for the table. Throughout the entire 
process the cream and butter are not touched by the hands, 
and though each is handled many times it is all done in the 
most sanitary Avay by machinery. It is worth a trip to the 
factory to see the big churns, each with a capacity of a 
thousand pounds, and to watch the course of the cream from 
the time it arrives, until it is stored as butter in the refrig- 
erator. 

I*\-om the vat, into Avhich the cream is poured from the 
cans of the producer, the cream is pumped to the big for- 
Avarmer vat where endless "worm" of coiled steam pipe con- 
tinuously writhes and warms the cream to about 80 degrees. 
Then it is forced into the pastuerizer where it is wliirled 
dizzily and until the temperature rises to lo.") or IGO degrees. 



Jamestown: "The City IlEArTiFui/ 



41 



Tlieii iiii(l(M- pi-cs.snre tlie cream enters tlie lioldiiiii liack vat, 
>\liei-(^ it remains half an lionr and ([nietns is i»iYen to any 
Itacteria liardy enon^iili to exist njt to tliis time. 

Tlien tlie ci-eam ])asses to tlie ceiling of tlie room to 
emerge n]>on a vertical toboggan slide: a sei-ies (»f ])i])es ovei- 
^^•|li(•ll tli(^ ci-eam Hows in a film, and from that it di-o])s to 
the liasin helow. wlii; h it reacln^s at a tem])era1nre of abont 




Private Office in Jamestown Creamery 

70 d(^gr(M^s. I'^roni there it is })nm]>ed into the big liolder 
A'ats of r>(lO and 1(10(1 gallons eacli, where the cream ripens 
and IxM'omes jtrc^pared foi- the linal stage of the journey. With 
a litth^ starter formed from fresh milk and enconi-agenient 
from the butter-maker and a system of steam "worms'' in 
each ri])ener — the cream is conveyed to the big churns of 
1)00 to 1000 ll)s.. ca]>acity each. Here the j.articles of fat 
are gi-adnally sejtarated and accumulate in golden globules 
swiiiiminii in n sea of buttermilk. The i)uttermilk is drawn 



42 



North Dakota of Today 



oft' tiud pumped to a tank ou the second floor, where it is 
stored until carried away by the farmers at 2 cents per 



gallon and nsed for stock feed. 



The skilled man in charge of the bntter clinrn, now adds 
just the right amount of salt to the globules, the churn goes 
round and round, first one way and then the other, and fin- 
ally the butter is woi-ked down to the right consistency, con- 




General Office in Jamestown Creamery 

taining just the right amount of moisture and flavored to a 
degree. It is then packed in ash tubs or firkins, each holding 
63 lbs., and stored away in the big refrigerators. 

The plant opened for business June 1, 1918, and h\ June 
19th, five carloads of Primus butter liad been shii)ped from 
there, with another car ready to be shipped. Eacli car con- 
tained more than 20,000 pounds. The plant is flourishing 
beyond all sanguine expectations. 



Jamestown : ''The City Beautiful" 43 

A live Commercial club is a city's greatest asset, and 
Jamestown is among the cities of North Dakota that are 
niuisnally a\ ell favored in this respect. One of the resuUg 
of the activities of the Jamestown Commercial club is the 
quarterly publication of "The Power House," a neat and at- 
tractive booklet dealing with matters of civic importance to 
Jamestown, as well as lauding Patriotic movements. Tlie 
result is a bigger, and broader Jamestown; and as the clul) 
has affiliated with other clubs of various cities, and has a 
mailing list of over 500, the "City Power House," promises 
to be of no little significance for the future of the city of 
Jamestown. 




Vallsy City 
(MIAPTEK VII. 



VALLi:V ('ITY 



'THE (JEM <)1-^ THE SIIEYENXE 
VALLEY" 



A LEGEND OF VALLEY CITY 

The glorious light of the harvest moon 

Had wrapped the old gray earth 
With a bridal veil of silvery white, 

To celebrate Venus' birth ; 
And little Cupid, with fairy-like wing, 

Passed thro' those realms of light, 
Seeking a treasure of purest ray — 

A gift for his goddess bright. 

Across the deep seas and mountains grand, 

Over the wooded plains. 
Beyond the palace and humble cot 

Where Venus, love's fair queen, reigns — 
To the prairies broad of the great Northw^est, 

With their fields of ripening grain. 
Where rivers sing in their joyous mirth, 

And birds join the sweet refrain, 

'Twas there, surrounded by sheaves of gold, 
He paused on the brow of a hill ; 



Valley City: "The Gem of the Sheyexxe \'alley" 4.") 

For, looking down, he saw a gem 

Which made his pulse thrill. 
Like a jewel in golden setting, 

A valley nestled there — 
Like an emerald set with moonstones, 

It rested in beauty rare. 

For thro' the green of bordering trees, 

The lights and shadows quiver 
Upon the waters, deep and clear. 

Of the winding Sheyenne river, 
"Tis an offering worthy to lay at thy feet 

! my goddess of love," he said ; 
And swiftly this birthday greeting to carry 

Back to his mistress he sped. 

There, bowing low before her throne, 

He offered his gift of love 
To the matchless queen of all the earth. 

And the radiant stars above. 
Then, with her beautiful wand of light, 

She touched the valley and the river, 
Breathing a blessing of joy and peace 

Over both them ancl the giver. 

And now there are homes in that lovely place. 

And Venus, the goddess above. 
O'er the gem of the Sheyenne valley sheds 

Her blessings of Light and Love. 

—Maud H. Moe. 

^^all('y City is the county seat of Barnes County and is 
located on tlie banks of the Sheyenne Kiver. It lias a ])o))- 
ulation of (uAH). Duviiii;- the jtast ten years the population 
lias iiicreas(^d about one-third. It is a beautiful city sur- 
roun<l(Ml by bluffs and hill, w liicli on tlu^ south si(h^ is covered 
with a thick growth of trees. It has been calle(l l)y wiiters 
the .i;eiii of the Sheyc^iUK^ N'allev, and jiictured as such in 
])oeni foiiii. 



46 



North Dakota of Today 




Fifth Avenue, Valley City, N. D. 

Tlu' city is becominj; nii (Mlncational cciitpr of no little 
sijiiiiticaiice. for here is located tlie A'alle.v City Xoriiial 
School, which has the reputation of heiiiii tlie greatest Nor- 
mal school ill the west. It is located south of the river in the 
Avooded part of the valley, and is a beautiful si<iiit to behohl — 
the great stone and brick buildings nestling cozily amid the 
profusion of trees and vines, and artistic campus gronnds. 
President McFarland has been at the head of this institution 
fo]' twenty-six years, an<l the school and city are ])roud of 
liim and his work. 

Valley (Mty is well represented by various industries. 
It is the hom<* of the famous Occident Flour. It was here 
OH the banks of this winding Sheyenne that the great cor- 
poration, the Kussell-Miller Milling company made their first 
venture, but the little old mill that was driven by water power 
lias been relegated to the rear and in its place stands one of 



Valley City : ''The Gem of the Sheyenxe Valley'^ 47 

the great modem mills of the west. During the past ten 
years there have been established two Wholesale Fruit 
Houses, one Wholesale Grocery House, the Northwest Nurs- 
ery, besides many minor industries. 

Fine railroad facilities are provided by the Soo and 
Northoin Pacific lines which pass through the city. Here 
is to l»e found the great Northern Pacific High Bridge span- 
nijig ^he entire Sheyenne Valley being a distance of nearly 
one mile, and at its highest point it is one hundred eighty 




Barnes County Court House, Valley City, N. D. 

feet above the waters of the Sheyenne River. Many exclam- 
ations of admiration and surprise are heard from tourists 
and passengers passing over this bridge when they get a 
view of the wondrous Sheyenne Valley and the beautiful 
little city lying to the south of them. 

Among the public buildings probably the most conspic- 
uous is the Barnes County Court House ; other fine buildings 
are: the Barnes County Hospital, splendidly equipped; the 
City Hall ; and the Public library. The city is well-repre- 
sented by clnii-ches of various denominations, the Congrega- 
tional, Methodist and Catliolic leading, and all have at- 



4S 



North I)ak(»ta of Today 



tractiv*^ ('(lifices. The lliiili ami IMihlic Schools arc fully 
e<|iiil»|>c(l and of a lii«;h de^nrcc of efticieiicy. 

The residence streets are a special attraction, elegant 
homes surrounded by line trees. well-kei)t lawns, flowers, con- 
f-rete Avalks that extend to the outskirts of the citv. and all 




Business Street Scene, Valley City, X. D. 

parts well lighted form a si^ht ])leasinn to the eye and taste 
of the individual. The city has excellent \\ater works, a 
c-oni])lete sewer system, and electric light and i)Ower })lant. 

^'alley (Mty is the home of the greatest Cliautauqua west 
of the Mother ('hautau(|ua. located just soutli of the North- 
ern I'acitic llighline IJridge, in a horseshoe^ bend of the river 
and liaving a Ix^iutifid wooded spot of about ten acres. In 
th(^ center of this ground is located a great steel auditorium 
which was erected at a cost of little over |20,(I0(I, and has a 
seating ca])acity of 4400, and many of the meetings have not 
only tilled the ;^('atiiig capacity of this auditorium, but stand- 
ing room has been at a ])remium and crowds have stood en- 
circling the auditoi-ium to a depth of t \\-enty-tive feel of its 
border. 

Duiiiig the past ten years N'alley (Mly has giowii into 
a great musical center; it has the distinction of having en- 



^'AI.LEY City: "The (Jem of the Sheyexxe N'aleey" 41) 

tertaiiied more celebi-ated imisiciaiis tlian any city of its size 
ill tlie world. Tlie liosi)itality and a])])i(M-iation of Valley City 
lias l»eeii (xtciided to Madam Nordica. Madam Semhric, Mad- 



High and Public Scliools. Valley City, N. D. 







High and Public Schools, Valley City, N, D. 



am Melba, Madam X'dson, IJeiiry \Voolner and others; also it 
has the distinction of liavinii' three times, that lireat organiza- 
tion, the Miniieai)o]is Sy]n])lioiiy Orchestra. At the Normal 
Anditorinm every other week <liiriiig the winter months a 
•ireat iininici]»al concert is given. The concerts ai-e pnt on 
by tlie Conservatory of Music of the Normal School with th<' 
aid of local mnsical talent. No charge has been made and 
Snnday after Sunday the large Anditorinm is taxed to its 
(•ai)acity. 

Not only has this city had the jdeasnre of entertaining 
musical celebrities, bnt its hosjiitality has been enjoyed by 
Ex-l*resident V. S. Grant. Ivx-President Theodore Roosevelt, 
Lientenant-Ceneral Nelson A. Miles. AA'm. .1. r>ryan, and oth- 
ers. N'alley < 'ity also had the dislinction of having a companv 



50 North Dakota of Today 

in France, being G Company of tlie IG^tli U. S. Infantry, 
besides the lionor of having one Colonel, two Majors, five 
Captains, and twelve Lieutenants in service in the World 
War. 

One of the chief charms of Valley City is the social and 
recreational life it offers. Club life is at its zenith. Besides 
the Commercial Club which enjojs a large membership, and 
is very active in stimulating the growth of the city, there 
are various women's clubs whose scope of activities has re- 
sulted in a social stimulous of no mean order. Then there 
is a first-class photo play theatre where a high-class of 
pictures are featured. During the summer a most enticing- 
rendezvous is the City Park, situated right in the heart of 
the city. Here Sunday after Sunday, in the afternoon, con- 
certs are held, and the park is literally thronged with people 
lured there by the alluring notes of the music, the inviting 
benches scattered here and there in cozy nooks, and the 
delightful strolls under the cool shade of the trees. 




Villard Street. Dickinson. .\. l». 



CHAPTER VIII. 



DICKINSON : "THE QUEEN CITY OF THE PRAIRIES" 

Over tweiitv-five years ago, Dickinson Avas the liead- 
<inarters for the bnft'alo hnnter. Rig loads of bnffalo skins 
were bronglit in and sold for .f 1 each, which was an advantage 
over selling same at the range where they brought only 50 
cents. This market brought a thriving livelihood to a great 
many, as buffaloes were numerous in those days, and it was 
no seldom occasion for a hunter to return from a few weeks' 
hunting trip with 500 skins to his credit. As only the skins 
were marketed, the carcasses were left to rot. Later these 
bleaching bones on the prairies opened up a new profitable 
business, which required no capital. When sufficient loads 
of these bones were l)rought in, a car or two was engaged 



52 XouTii Dakota of Today 

and the hones slii]>j>e(l to St. Lonis for $10 per ton, to be 
cliietly used in retininij; snjj;ar. 

Al tliis time the Sionx Indians of the JJerthohl Keserva- 
tion i-oved around J)ickinson, hunting antelope, and trading 
tlie skins for trinkets, wheat, etc. During the week of .Inly 
!), 1SS:1 4(100 buffalo skins liad been brought in. lM>llo\ving 
tli(^ (wtinction of the buffalo, large hei-ds of cattle were 
bi-ought in from the south. Although there were no rail- 
roads south of the town, tlu^ ranchers had no trouble in 
bringing in herds of '2~}{){) or :>000 head of catth'. Dickinson 
became the laigest cattle .shii»ping jtoint on the Northern 
Pacific, maintaining extensive^ yards, and from 10 to '2~i 
trainloads of cattle were shipped in om^ day during the busy 
season. 

f'ollowing tlie cattle came the sheej). In si)ite of tlie 
finding of needle grass, came the realization that shee}> could 
be raised her(\ and this industry grew to one of immense i>ro- 
]K)rtions. The \\ool was baile<l, and from all sections over a 
hundriMl miles south, brought to Dickinson and shi]>]>ed to 
IMiiladelphia and Hoston during the months of dune and 
July; 1', 000, 000 lbs of wool was shipped annually. After the 
sheej) came farming, which has been carried on to the ]»res- 
ent day. 

Dickinson, called the "(^ueeii (Mty of the Prairies,"" is 
the county seat of Stark County, and has a population of 
0100. If is situated on the north bank of the Heart Kiver, 
where a gentle slo])e affords natural drainage. One by one 
the wooden struct ui(^s of frontier days have been replaced 
by handsome brick l)locks. It has taken no <-ontlagration to 
change tlie town from wood to brick and stcuie. only the 
steadv advance of the town that has never known serious de- 



Dif'KiNsox: "The (^I'een City of the Pkaiuies" 53 



pressioii, but has from year to year made substantial growth. 
The city owns its own Avaterworks, valued at |72,000. 
The water is obtained from seven deep artesian wells three 
quarters of a mile north of the city. All water is lifted with 
air, and the i)lant has a capacity of 5,000,000 gallons, suf- 
ficient for the city for many years to come. A central heat- 
ing plant is installed in the down town districts. Well-grad- 
ed, oiled streets, wide sidewalks, a brilliant white way, tine 
public buildings, and elegant homes, all bespeak of the pros- 
perity of Dickinson. 







_--4**(P^^^ 


m 




M 


i^ 


1 




If] IJIir! i|i 1 

M Wl 'il IllLla 


^ i 


\\ 1 JH ]1 


Jl 


W 


,JS-^ 







Masonic Temple, Dickinson, N. D. 
Among tlie imposing i)ubli(' buildings is the Masonic 
Temple erected at a cost of |60,000, which is the home not 
only of the Masonic bodies of Dickinson, but is a rallying 
l^lace for all members of the order on the Missouri slope. The 
building is a beautiful one, and a credit to the city as well as 
to the Masonic fraternit}'. ('lub rooms are flitted up in con- 
nection witli tlie lodge rooms and the Temple has become 
a sort of social center for the members. A handsome ad- 
dition to the city is tlie new government i)ost office, erected 
at a cost of |90,000 ; this building is also the home of the 
U. S. Land office, and the T'. S. Weather Bureau. 



54 



North Dakota of Today 



The Elks Biiiklin*;, one of the finest buihlings in the 
city, is the home of nearly GOO Elks, and contains a fine con- 
vention hall fitted with staiie facilities. The Odd Eellows also 
have their own bnildin<j;, the fii-st of its kind in the city. The 
Bohemian Hall in the western ]>art of the city, and St. An- 
thony's hall on the South side, are clnb fraternity centers. 
Then there is a fine Pnblic Library costing |25,000; a unique 
feature of the interior is the fireplace made of burned brick. 
The city has four banks to take care of the business interests, 
and promote new enter j)i-ises. 




Methodist Church, Dickinson, N. D. 

The church life of the city is centered in eight churches — 
Congregational, Methodist, Episcopal, Christian Science. Ger- 
man Lutheran, and three Catholic. A distinct addition to 
the city is the beautiful, imi)osing brick l)uilding of the 
Simpson Warren Methodist church, comi)leted in the spring 
of 1918, at a cost of f^.l.OOO. The St. Joseph's Hospital, sit- 
uated in the northern ]>a]-t of the city, is under the manage- 
ment of the sisters, and is fully e(|uii)i)ed and modern in ever a 
way. It represents an investment around |1 00,000. 

Besides being a thriving business center, ])ickinson if al- 
so a splendid educational center. The first class high s« hool 



Dickinson : "^The Queen City of the Prairies" 55 

and graded schools have been brought to a high degree of 
efficiency. Besides the public schools, there is a Parochial 
school in South Dickinson. The year of 1918 crowned the 
opening of the Dickinson Normal school. For the past two 
years a night school has been maintained with great success, 
being thoroughly enjoyed by the many who took advantage 
of the opportunity to equip themselves for commercial po- 
sitions. 

The city has six elevators with a capacity of 300,000 
bushels, and two flour mills with a capacity of 800 barrels 
daily. June 1918 launched the establishment of a Briquette 
two-unit plant, which started developing the rich deposits of 
coal of which Dickinson has an over abundance. The Lehigh 
Mines have been selected as the site of the plant, as the vein 
in these mines run twenty feet thick in many places, and there 
is enough lignite to keep the mine busy for many years. It 
is the intention of this company to gradually increase this 
new industrj^ to a twelve-unit affair plant costing |1, 000, 000. 

Dickinson has two brick plants, and is far and wide 
noted for her splendid clay deposits, having an abundance 
of white clay and fire clay, which are used for fine pottery 
and bricks. The Dickinson Fire and Pressed Brick Company 
which was incorporated in 1902 with a capital of |200,000, 
owns 200 acres of rich clay bearing lands near and adjoining 
the city. The Company's works are located on the north 
bank of Heart River in the southwestern part of the city. 
Among the various kinds of clay deposits found on these 
lands, are two excellent grades of fire clay, a rare plastic semi- 
fire clay that works into sew^er pipe and fire brick and also 
browns into a fine buff shade when used for facing brick. 
There are also selicia iron-bearing clays, and semi-shales and 



.-)(; Xoirni Dakota of Today 

led cliiy thai ^\■<>l•ks into tine old rc^il saiultstone. red and terra 
cotta shades v.iieii made into t'acinii, coninion, and sand nionld 
bricks. 

The ordinary out|)ni of the j)lant is .H,0()(M)()() brick per 
year, the ca]»acity of I'O.OOO bricks ])ei- day. Tlie ])rodncts of 
this company are rfM-ojLiiii/.ed as snperior. and \\'ere adojited 
and used in the constrnction of fedei-al buildings at (Irand 
Forks, tliis state, \Vaterb)o, Iowa, and Seattle, Wash., as 
A\ell as for many otlier ]>nblic and ])i-ivate l)nil<lin<is in var- 
ious citi(^s. 

The city boasts of a broom factory, one of the few in the 
North>\'(^st, a cigar factory, a bottling works (b)ing a thriving 
\)usiness, an evergreen nursery containing over oOOO trees, 
and is the home of tlie Missouri Valley Wholesale (Jrocery 
Jlonse, Avhose teri-itoiy covers a large ])ortion of the state, as 
^\^r\\ as eastern Montana. On<^ of the princijial industries (rf 
l)ickinson is the ice jthint consti-ucted by the Dickinson Ice ^: 
Transfei- (\). This ]»lant elected at a cost of .*5L'(), 0(1(1 has a 
ca]»acity of ten tons daily, and su]>])lies the trade from Man- 
dan to \>'ibaux, Mont. Jt is the only ;>rtificial ice phint lie- 
tween the Twin Citic^s and the ^[ontniia line. The new phint 
is a ])ioneei- of its kind in Xoi-th Dakota. Diuu'iisions of the 
Imilding ai-e ()().\(>0, with a storage capacity of I'oO tons. The 
tank room has a concrete floor with cork insulation above and 
around the sides to a height of abont live feet. AVithin the 
wal) of cork is a w aterproof concrete tank, which contains salt 
brine, jind insi(h' of which (he cans — 1*40 in numbei- — con- 
taining the watei- to be frozen are })hiced. Around the re- 
ce])tacl(\s r-nn the ammonia ])ipes in a circle, l^light tons of 
brine are retpiired to start the process of refrigeration. The 
amiuonia is forced through the lujies by a com|ii-ess(n- in the 



Dickinson: "Tup: (^rEp:N City ok the 1*uaiuies"" ~}~ 

eiiiiiiic room, cooliiin tlic l)i-ine to a tcinjtcratnre whicli freezes 
the \vater in tlie cans. City water passes throii<>h a hose into 
tlie cans. A aO-liorse power electric motor provides ])ower tor 
tlie ])lant. The cakes of ice mannfactnred are 11x22x48. 

Dickinson has one of tlie first armory l)nil(lings 
erected in the state. It is tlie lionie of ("'om])any K. The 
Conntry Chib Honse erected in l!)14 by tlie Dickinson 
(iolf (Mnl), occn])ies a fine location on the grounds near the 
o-olf links jnst Avest of the city, which cover a])])roximately 
70 acres. The view is fine in every direction, and the piazzas 




Public Library, Dickinson, N. D. 

and i<M(')»ti(»n rooms ai-e a favorite iiatherini^ ])]ace, and 
many danciiiii ])arties ai-e given hei-e. An ideal !)dH)le golf 
conrse offers an enticing recreation to the tired bnsiness man. 
Dickinson offers many attractions in its social and clnb ac- 
tivities. 

Dickinson is on the KcjI Trail, which sc(Miic ronte passes 
from New York to the Coast via Dickinson and the P>ad 
Lands. A short ])leasant drive has been constructed "aroniid 
the s<|nai-e"" of the city, often iiudnding a tonr of the V. S. 
ExjMM-iment station gi-onnds, where vaiious tests of grain, 
roots, grasses, alfalfa, fruits and tree's are ma<le to assist the 
fjniiiers in tlicir work. R(^tui-ning to tli(^ citv the wav leads 



58 North Dakota of Today 

past the Young Park of 2o acres, including Eocky Butte, 
where hundreds of deciduous and evergreen trees have a 
fine start. Near the water tower another grove of trees has 
been started, and in the eastern part of the city, Simpson 
Park occupies an entire block. While Dickinson in the mat- 
ter of parks has had but a brief start, in the course of a few 
years these will mature and afford a pleasant rendezvous to 
its citizens. 




Where the Heart Flows Into the Missouri 

CHAPTER IX 



MANDAX: "THE VITY OF EXTERPIH8E" 



A LEGEND OF MANDAN 

Have yon ever lieard the story of 

liow Maiidaii i^ot its name? 
I will tell yon so you'll Tiiiderstand 

from whence that i^rand name came. 
It was in the days of Indians 

when they roamed the })i-airies green. 
And here's the way the ])ioneers 

have told the tale to m(\ 

Sure there lived a tribe of ''^Fandans'' 

in a camj) not far away. 
And they built the queerest houses 

out of sticks and grass and clay. 
And when tlie white men found them 

they lo(»ked so odd and rare. 
They said: ^'Suppose Ave ivy the place 

ami liuild our houses thei*e."' 



00 North Dakota of Today 

S(» tliev (jiiit tlieir search for <.V)1<1 dust 

and tliey broiiglit their liorse and plow. 
And they tilled the sod and trnsted God 

and showed the redskins how. 
So now I've told m\ story 

and I'ye done the best I can 
And when they had it started, 

snre they named the place Mandan. 

(As sung by Olky Chancecott.) 

Mandan. the "City of Enterprise," is the county seat of 
Morton county, and has a population of 0000. It is a beauti- 
fully situated city nestling down in the Heart Riyer yalley 
about three miles from the Missouri, with high hills to the 
north and the south of the city, and wide stretches of timber 
skirting the Heart and the Missouri riyers. With its many 
handsome residences, fine payed streets, and modern public 
buildings, it is a city to take the eye. 

Stretching away from Mandan are some of the prettiest 
driyes, and a more grand and inspiring yiew would be hard 
to find than the one to be beheld from the hills at Old Fort 
Lincoln, oyerlooking the Missouri where the Heart empties 
into it; or by taking a trii» noilh along the Missouri, turning 
into the Square Butte yalley and following this winding- 
stream to Center. The trip v% est of Mandan challenges the 
admii-ation of the loyers of nature. 

Splendid recreation is offered by a trip across the Mis- 
souri Kiyer bottoms, either north or south of the Northern 
Pacific. And for those who loye to stroll there are beautiful 
spots all iilong the Heart Riyer. from Chautauqua Park d(t\yn 



jMaxdax : "The City of Exteui'Uisk" 



(U 



beyond the fair jirouiids. uieiis, ;iii<l liullcys, alKdiiidiiii;' in 
fei-ns and wild tioweis. in Iteanlifnlly shaded uooks and lov- 
ers' laues — really rare in what is for the most part a prairie 
state, Tliese places are a sonrce of enjoyment to the yonug, 
and a rest for tired nei-ATs, and a refnge for one who seeks 
a little time awav fiom the humdrum of life. 




Street Scene, Mandan. N. D. 

]>einii located in an aiiricnltnral district, the industries 
of Mandan are made largely of those lines that contribute 
to the needs of an agricultui-al community. Located here 
are large houses distributing farm machinery and lumber; 
one of tlie largest wholesale grocery houses of the west, the 
Missouri Valley Grocery Co., is located here, and does a 
business of a]»]>roximately -11,000, 000. There are four banks 
with a total deposit of |l*,SOO,000. on(^ of tiic banks having 
eight associate baid^s located in smaller to^^lls in this t(M-ri- 
torv. 



62 



XoRTH Dakota of Today 



Mandaii is the headquarters of the Biugerheimer Mer- 
cantile Company, which operates lumber jards and elevators 
and farm machinery in eight of the small towns. It is the 
home of the Mandan Mercantile Comi)any, and of the Tlnjmj)- 
son Yards. One of the Kussell-Miller Milling Company large 
mills is located here, with a pay roll of no small proportion. 
Then there is a centralized creamery and i)roduce company, 
tliat handles the cream and jn-oducts from hundreds of farms 
in the vicinity. 

Greater than all tli(\se however, is the railroad iitlciests 
wiiich center here, this citv heini: the terminal divisicm of 




Lewis & Clark Hotel, Mandan, N. D. 

tlie Northern Pacific line, from which radiate two important 
lines running north and west to Killdeer, and south aud 
west to Mott, ta]>ping a lich territory and bringing the prod- 
ucts of some of the best farms into the city. Here are located 
large railroad shoi)s employing many hundred men. The 
Northern Pacific pay roll in this city is not far from J{|n100,000 
a month. 

A decided ac(juisition to the city is the Lewis and Clark 
Hotel completed in January 1918, at a cost of |200,000. It 
is the property of former governor L. B. Hanna. The build- 
ing has a frontage of I.IO feet long by 130 long, and is made 



Maxdax : ''The City OF Exteiu'Rise" 63 

of pressed brick with white enamel oniir.uental ti'imiiiiuj>s. 
It is four stories high, and architectnrally one of the most 
beautiful hotels in the Northwest. Mr. Hanna has leased 
the hotel to Keller & Bovd, who also operate the Waldorf at 
Fargo. 

One of the new industries that has recently been organ- 
ized and that promises to mark a new era in the industrial de- 
velopment of Mandan is that of the Thorberg Tile Co. This 
Company was recently incorporated with a capital stock of 
$100,000 to develop the clay beds located about seven or eight 
miles south of Mandan, on what is known as the Old Fort 
Lnicoln flats. Chemical tests have i)royen that the clay 
deposits acquired by this company are among the best in the 
state. While it is the intention of the company at present 
to confine its operations to building tile, and rougher prod- 
ucts, and to produce a high-grade building brick, Mandan 
entertains the belief that at no distant date, the city will 
be the site of a thriving pottery industry. The abundance 
and cheapness of lignite will make it possible to operate such 
plants at a cost far below that of pottery centers in the east. 
Realizing that up to this time the development of this or 
any other branch of industry was the labor question, it hopes 
now that the war is over, to induce the high grade pottery 
workers, which compose the class of skilled operatives and are 
mostly foreigners, to come to this part of the country. Man- 
dan, as well as other North Dakota cities are beginning to 
realize and develop the untold wealth of North Dakota's re- 
sources, namely in coal and clay beds. 

The municipality of Mandan owns its own waterworks, 
using the Missouri River, the water is pumped into settling 
tanks on one of the high hills above the city. Two new res- 



(U 



XouTii Dakota of Today 









U. S. Experiment Farm. Mandan, \. D. 

(Mvoirs liave Just Ikm'h hiiilt N\]iicli hold a cajtacity of nearly 
tN\<> iiiillioii lialloMs. The city also lias one of the most coiu- 
pletcly appoiiiteij electric plants in the Nortliwest. It is 
owned l>y the Mandan l%lecti-ic ('(»., wliicli also operates a 
central heating plant which sn|»]»lies steam heat to the bns- 
iness disti-ict. 

Mandan has splendid educational facilities in its s(di()(ds. 
J5esides the Hij^h S( liool linildiiiii which was recently erected 
and is the last word in efliciency, hoastinii of a lai'ue ,uyni- 
nasinin and nio<lern e(pii])ment. tliere is the (>nti-al school, 
the Cnster scliool, and the Parochial S(diool. It is also the 
lionK^ of the North Dakota State Keform scdiool. 

Socially, the city has mn( li to offer. There are numerous 
l()d<»('s. a Town and Country (Mnli with a lariLjc lueudxMship, 
which owns an aitistic clnh house beautifully situated on the 
l)aidc of the Heart Kiver. The club has a fine jLi'olf and tennis 
c(:urs(\ The Missouri SIojk- l'"airs. one of the oldest and best 
urounded fairs and exhibitions own tine fair ;nrounds within 



Maxi>a.\: "Tiik City of l^N'iEin'KisE" (i.") 

th(^ city limits. The fairs are held liiM-e (Mi-1i year and briiii;' 
thousands to the city. Maiidaii is on the j^reat national higli- 
^^■ay. the Ked Tr;!il, iimninii from Xe\\- Voi-k to Seattle, and 
also on th(^ I>lack Trail, rnnninii thronjih AMnnipej;' to the 
Black Hills. The ('(immercial (Mnb inaintains comfortable 
clnl) rooms in onc^ of the best business block of the city. The 
city is active in its reliiiions life, and has five chni-ches of 
different denominations. The Palace Theater, one of the 
finest show houses in the Northwest, ])rovi<les amusement to 
a biriie and aj)])reciatiye i)nblic. 




Main Street, Williston. N. D. 

CHAPTER X. 



WILLISTON : ^'THE CITY OF OPPORTUNITY" 

Williston, the ''City of 0])iM»rtnnity," is the county seat 
of Williams County, and has a population of 5500. It is 
located in the extreme west of North Dakota, where the Great 
Northern and Missouri meet, only twenty miles from Mon- 
tana. No one would recognize the AVilliston of the eighties, 
consisting of a few log buildings, in the transformation of 
Williston of today. The growth of the city in the last ten 
years has been phenomenal. It is no longer the uncertain 
growth that comes with the early rush in a newly opened dis- 
trict, that later comes to a lull — no, Williston's expansion is 
sure, substantial and healthy. 

Being a division point, the railroad pay roll is a commer- 
cial asset. It has unlimited resources, as yet to a great ex- 
tent undeveloped, in its vast coal dei)osits. There are about 



AYiLLiSTOX : "The City of Opportunity'' 67 

six mines near the city. About two and one half miles from 
the city is located the Government Power Plant, which is 
used for pumping and generating electricity, utilized on the 
reclamation project and by the city of Williston for light 
and power. It is built right at the head of a mine that reaches 
into the hill half a mile. 

AVater for irrigating several thousand acres is pumped 
out of the Missouri and elevated 80 feet, in two lifts, to one 
canal and into others at a lower head, by centrifugal pumps 
driven by electric motors, receiving energy from this mine. 
The pumping equipment includes sixteen pumps, having a 
combined capacity of two thousand horse-power. Electrical 
energy is also produced at this plant and transmitted a dis- 
tance of twenty-six miles to Buford, to be used for driving 
motors on the pumping project located there. 

AAllliston's White AVay, which is one of the best in the 
Northwest, comes from this power plant. It is the latest word 
in street lighting efficiency. Using the single lamp system, 
new series Nitrogen lamps, each light affords many times the 
light efficiency of the old style way with its three to six 
lamps. Now it stands to reason that if electrical energy 
can be produced at the only government owned and operated 
mine, for the purpose of pumping water and lighting AA^illis- 
ton, it can be produced in unlimited amount at this, or any 
other plant in North Dakota where coal mines are located, 
for driving machinery and for various manufacturing in- 
dustries. 

Factories located within AVilliston, allied with agri- 
culture, might include sugar, condensed milk, pickles, canned 
peas, cheese and butter. The profits to be had from the 
successful briquetting of lignite coal can hardly be estimated, 



08 



Xoirni Dakota of Today 



and tlici-ciii ]\vs the j^reatest ()]»|i:ntniiity for coal oiit])nt. 
To tills should !)(' added tlie iieedc^d developiuciit of vast clay 
de])osits, wliicli may ])r()tital»ly li<^ turned to salable jnodncts. 
A reiiiarkal>l<' fi^it of iiiaii"s supremacy (>v(m- Nature, was 
demousti-ated at W'illistou on /lunust IW . 1!)1(>. when the 
Missouri lviv(M- w as spaniKMl by a jKUitoon iiriduc Since the 
(lavs of Lewis airl (Mark, the Indian, the hunter, the Tnited 




Pontoon Bridge. Williston. X. n. 



States troops, the ranchei-. the rec(Mit setthu-. armed with 
modern ideas, had all successfully been crossinii the swift 
tide by means of the laloiMous and none too safe canoe, raft, 
and ferry. 

The bridge site, which is less than half a mile from the 
(Jreat Northern depot, is one of the most favorable on the 
river. Tliirty-tive boats and short sti-etclu^s of low tress work 
snpi)ort plank dl•ive^^'ays over the main and (»ld channels. 
Kevetment woik |»revents the main chanuiM from cuttiuj;- the 
l)ank. this cliannel is ."OO feet wide at its nai-rowest point 
below the north of the ^'ellowstone, an<l is of ,i>reat depth 
and unusmd s^\•iftness. South of the Island, the old or lesser 
channel is slui;iiish an<l shallow, and oulv 250 feet in width 



WiiJjsTox : "The City of OrroirrrxiTY" 



69 



Tliis was easily s])aiiiie(l b.v eleven pontoons and ])lank ap- 
pi-oaches. 

Five heavy wire cables of vai-yin^ leiiiitlis u]) to 70(1 
feet, attached to "dead men" snnk deep in the hanks, anchor 
the bridjie tliat spans the main channel. To anchor the brid<j;e 
more seonrely, high towers liave been erecte<l on either bank 
to sn])port an overhead cable from which ca])les reach to the 
bridge. The great advantage of high sn])p<)rt is that tliey 
are out of the water, free from all drift, an<l ten<l to ]»oint 
the np-stream ends of the boats high, allowing both drift 




Williams County Court Huu.se, Willistun, X. D. 

and cnrrent to })ass nnder m ith less resistance. The boats 
and di-iveway have been bnilt of extra heavy tind)er and 
planks. ,\11 ii-on ])arts and tln^ links connecting the boatj^j 
are of great strength. The i)ontoons are 24 feet long and S 
fee' wide; tightly covei-ed -iicl calked an<l ])itched on sides 
and bottoms. After being loaded with the driveway and 
railing, the boats or pontoons draw less than eight inches 
of \\'ater. 

The bridge is constrncte<l with two long swi?ig sections, 
one 115 feet and the othei- l^A) feet. By means of a cable and 
a rope, o])erated by a small engine the gates are opene«l, 



70 



North Dakota of Today 



which are made to confiini to navigation regulations and 
allow passage of boats. This bridge has been put througli 
by the Missouri Bridge Company, a corporation of local 
business men. The capital stock of |1 0,000 was subscribed 
by local business men and farmers on both sides of the river, 
who all derive a great benefit from this bridge, as it connects 
now the AVilliams and McKenzie counties. A toll of 50 and 
25 cents is charged for crossing the bridge. 

Williston enjoys a great many advantages. Modern im- 
provements are to be seen everywhere. It has properly de- 




A Residence Street, Williston. N. D. 

veloped water mains, electric street lighting system, sewer 
system, filtration plant, concrete Avalks, splendid schools, a 
fine James Memorial Libraiy of 4000 volumes, thriving bus- 
iness streets, and beautiful homes. AVilliston is well-repre- 
sented in its religious interests, having ten churches of var- 
ious denominations. 

In the vicinity are stock farms of thoroughbred Perche- 



WiLLLSTON : "The City of OproiiTUNiTY'' 71 

roil liorses and Jersey cattle; dairy farms, bonanza farms, 
as well as many smaller farms. Modern labor-saving de- 
vices are being installed in the farm homes to lessen the 
labor of the farm wife. A social atmosphere prevails be- 
tween both city and home commnnity life. Nnmerons farm- 
ers' clubs are organized, and these giA^e picnics in the summer 
time, and city and farm mingle freely, thus creating a feel- 
ing of good fellowship, which is the hall mark of success of 
any community. 




Bird's eye View of Devils Lake, N. D. 



CUArTEK XI. 



DEVILS LAKE: "THE IlEAETV S1M)T ()E XOKTII 

DAKOTA" 

Ei-(iiii (he (^arly days of settlement in the vicinity of 
Devils Lake to tln^ ]>ves<Mit time seM'ins l»nt a brief |)ei-io(L 
Nevertheless, about those seeminjily fe^^■ years, much of his- 
tory could be related. Durinji ISSi* Kamsey ('ounty was 
thrown o])en to the iiomesteader. Today it is covered with 
magnificent farms, i)ros])er()Us communities, and tiourishing 
cities. Indeed a vivid imagination is wnw re(|uire<l to [)icture 
the early Indian days, primitive conditions, and the hard- 
ships. \\itli the scenes unfolding befoi-e ihe eyes in this so- 
called Lake Kegion. 

D(n-ils Lake, the c:;unty seat of l\ams(M County, a thiiv- 
ing prosperous city, with a population of ."iKMI. (K-cujties a 
prominent place in the so-called Lake Kegiim. and is the 



Devils Lake : '^The Beauty Si'ot of North Dakota" 73 

^'Beauty Spot of North Dakota," being one of the most beau- 
tiful and favored summer resorts in the state. Devils Lake 
is situated on the transcontinental line of the Great Northern 
Eailway, 406 miles west of Minneapolis, and on the Soo 
Line 387 miles west of Dulutli. Connecting Devils Lake 
Chautauqua on the lake shore with the city, is the Devils 
Lake & Chautauqua Electric Line, which during the summer 
runs hourly trains back and forth from the city. Running 
from Devils Lake to Canada is the Farmers' Grain and 
Shipping Company, a pioneer railway built exclusively by 
the farmers so that they migiit more expediously market their 
crop. 

The growth of the city has been steady and natural. Im- 
provements have been made from time to time when justified 
by the prosperity of the community. It is only necessary to 
stroll through the business and residential sections and in- 
spect the well-built, and well-kept stores, churches, public 
buildings and homes of imposing architecture, to become con- 
vinced of the prosperity of tlie community. In thirty years 
from an Indian settlement there has developed a city with 
all the modern improvements, including seventy miles of weM 
kept streets, twenty-five miles of paved sidewalks ; a fine tive- 
cluster lighting system; an excellent water system; an ef- 
ficient fire department ; eight and one half miles of sewerage 
system ; churches of almost every denomination ; magnificont 
lodge homes, schools, library, hotels, theatres, and hospitals. 

The public buildings of the city are of impressive archi- 
tecture. The Federal building which houses the U. S. Court 
and Postoffice, is probably the most imposing edifice, it is 
built of Vermont stone at a cost of |1 50,000. Rivaling this 
in a point of beauty and substantiality is the new Masonic 



74 North Dakota of Today 

Temple, erectea at a cost of .|70,()00, and the P^lks Hojue 
costing 150,000. 

Devils Lake has nniisnally fine edncational facilities. 
Besides the three public school buildings, well equipped, em- 
ploying a corps of thirty-two teachers, and an average attend- 
ance of one thousand, there is the State School for the Deaf 
and Dumb with buildings and grounds valued at -f 100,000, 
with an attendance of 110, and the St. Mary's Academy lo- 
cated on the Mercy Hospital grounds, with a valuation close 
to that of the state institute, and an average attendance of 
100 pupils 

The city has two hospitals, the "Mercy" and the 
''•General," the latter being com])leted in 1016 at a cost of 
|3i),000, both fully c(|ui]>)»cd ; a tine Carnegie Library; a V. S. 
Weather Bureau; a firstclass ojjcra house valued at |60,000, 
wliei-e some of the best plays and iimsical celebi-ities of the 
country are i)resented. Then there are three Motion Picture 
Theatres, all featuring a high class of plays, films, and vaude- 
ville and offering pleasant recreation to a large public. 

The State Biological Station b)cated at the Chautau(|ua 
Park, has attracted considerable attention through its re 
search work and exi)eriments Avith acclimation of fish to tJie 
salty water of the lake. Great success has resulted from these 
ex])eriments, and Devils Lake is being annually stocked with 
fisli, and soon promises to be the si)ortsnian's mecca of the 
Northwest. 

Fort Totten on the south shore of the lake is one of 
the ancient landmarks of pioneer days. It is now being used 
as an Indian School for the culturing of the Indians and 
educating them to modern ways and customs and principally 
in progressive agriculture. The State owns a magnificent 



Devils Lake: ''The JJeai'ty Spot of North Dakota" Tr> 

tract of land <»ii the shores of Devils Lake whei-e the annual 
encanii»nients of the State Militia are held. Coniniodins coni- 
misarT and equipment buildings with a complete water sys- 
tem and excellent facilities for bathing- and for maneuvering 
in the wooded country about the Lake have made this reserva- 
tion tlie most popular grounds for encampment in the North- 
west. 

Immediatel}' across Devils Lake to the south, near Fort 
Totten, the Federal Government has reserved a national 




Main Street, Devils Lake, N. D. 

park, known as Sully's Hill Park, it being so designated 
from the fact that Gen. Sully defeated the Sioux Indians on 
the faincnis l)attle ground near what is known as Sully's Hill, 
in the year 1863. This government park comprises a tract 
of land of TOO acres, and is denseh' wooded and all kinds 
of wild game alxumd under the i>rotection afforded by the 
timber. 

With its excellent transportation facilities. Devils Lake 
has develo]»ed into a wholesale center of no little magnitude. 



76 



North Dakota of Today 



and sevei-al wholesale lioiises tiiid their lioiiies Ihm-c. l-^i-nit 
groceries, trees, cigars, creamery })r<)(lncts, ice cream, machin- 
ery, dry goods, and fnrnitnre, are sliii)ped from Devils Lake 
in all directions of the Lake Region. A singular and im- 
portant resource of tlie city is the Devils Lake Xnrsery, which 
has the distinction of ])eing the most northern nnrsery in 
America. It comprises of 250 acres of hardy home-grown 
stock, and is located one-half mile east of the city, on high 








\-'wn 



A Residence Street, Devils Lake, N. D. 

prairie soil. It i)ropagates fruit trees, small trees, forest 
trees, evergreens, ornamental shrubs, and perennial flowers. 
The main shop of the Great Northern Railway, the largest 
between St. Paul and Seattle, installed and c<)m])leted at a 
cost of nearly a million dollars is to be found in Devils 
Lake. 

The country roads in the Lake Region — which comprises 
the counties of Ramsey, Benson, Cavalier, Nelson, Pierce, 
Towner and Rolette — are as good as any to be found in the 
Northwest. Automobiles for business and pleasure are large- 
ly used, and a majority of the farmers now drive their own 



Devils Lake : ''The Beauty 8i'0t of North Dakota" 77 

cars. This easy and jxtjuilar inetliod lias united city and 
village f(»i- social and commercial betterment. The Wonder- 
land Trail, rnnning from Minneapolis to Glacier Park and 
Seattle; the Blue Trail from Fargo; and the Bed Trail 
running north and south, all lead through Devils Lake, and 
the roads are excellent. Automobile tourists from all points 
east pass thi-ongh Devils Lake to gain the advantage of the 
magniticient highways and beautiful scenery, as well as to 
attend the Chautauqua held there annually. 

Favored by its uni(]ue and beautiful location, Devils 
Lake is naturally a city of tine homes, well-kept lawns, trees 
and shrubbery. The residential sections have kept pace with 
the business district in development, and here can be found 
the substantial artistic ty})e of homelike bungalow, or the 
large impressive mansion of modern architecture, bespeaking 
of progressiveness and i)rosi)erity which seem to typify the 
entire region. 

One tinds in Devils Lake a great amount of club life, 
active and Avell-organized, in which the women as well as the 
men are A\'ell represented. The Commercial Club maintains 
magnificently fui-nished (juarl^ers in the Opera House Block, 
with card, billiard, reading and lounging rooms. The club 
is active along many lines. It has inaugurated a Good Roads 
Movement, and two or three times a year, business houses 
are closed while the highways are being improved. Trade 
excursions by automobile are frequent, and the annual Mid- 
Winter Fair is i)erhaps the one big feature of the club work. 
Farmers from the Lake Kegion take great interest in the 
Fair work. By competition contests, and offers of awards, 
the standard of production has been raised and greater inter- 
est stimulated among the farmers in raising livestock, alfalfa, 
and corn. 




Dakota Avenue Looking East, Wahpeton, X. D. 
CHAPTEK XI 1. 



WAHPETON: ^'THK (JATEWAV OF THE 
NORTHWEST" 

Wali]»et(ni was tlie great uatewav tliroiigli which s(» many 
passed to (Miter the pi-oiuised land. Tliat great army of grim 
and determiiKMl men, westward bonnd — halted on tlie brink 
of the Red River of the North, and witli eagei- eves gazed into 
the vast distance — hei-e the.v seemed to hear (Hod wliis]»er in 
their ears: "This land I give to yon and yonr chihlren." 
It was liere tlie pioneer rested — here lie gained conrage to 
go on and on — to battle with the i)rimitive elements of sav- 
agery, and ])riyations of ])i()neer life. Here the sight of the 
Red River valley gladdened his eyes, gave conrage to his 
heart and zest to his determination to bnibl a lioiiie for his 
loved ones amidst the lurking danger of the arrow of the wily 
red man. 



Wahpetox : ''The Gateway of the Northwest' 



79 



Xo wonder A\'ali])et()D has prospered — so large a cargo 
of hope, ambition, and determination, passed through its 
portals, that some of it soaked into the very air — and the city 
grew and ('\i»aii<l<'!l. Today Wahpeton, nestling cozily in 




Z 



tfi |i lists 

i 




Richland County Court House, Wahpeton, N. D. 

the midst of the famous Red River Valley, has a population 
of 3500, and is the county seat of Richland County. 

The pride of the city is the Richland County Court 
House, that was erected in lOlf at a cost of .f 145,000, and is 
considered the tinest building of its kind in the State of 
Korth Dakota. It is a beautiful structure of Avliite stone, 
and the interior decorations are exceptionally fine. Four 
beautiful paintings adorn the dome, which are especially 
characteristic of this ])rogressive county. The paintings bear 
tlie names of Education, Wisdom, Commerce, and Agricul- 
ture. The decorations of the different county offices are in 
perfect accord with the general sclieme of combined beauty 
and utility. The religious life of the city is represented by 
ten churches of different denominations, all of whom own 
splendid edifices. 

Other fine i)ublic buildings are: the new Federal Post- 



so 



XouTii Dakota of Today 



office erected at a cost of |47,()00, a large and commodious 
Cit}' Hall, a spleii<lid three-story Opera House, erected at a 
cost of 150,000, and the citv also has the distinction of havinj>- 
the finest Great Northern Station west of the Twin Cities, 
which was erected at a cost of 150,000. A big asset to the 
city is the })nl)lic library of 2500 yohinies, which is located 
in the Court House, and the three stroni; banks. 

Wahpeton has excellent educational facilities. It ie 
the home of the State School of Science which has won a 
state-wide rei)utation for efficiency, as also the Goyernment 




City Hall, Wahpeton, N. D. 

Indian School, one of the show ])laces of the state, which 
has demonstrated the fact that it ])ays to educate the Indian. 
The public school system of the city ranks with the best. 
Besides the public schools there is a Lutheran Bible School, 
and a Parochial School, the latter being founded in 1886, and 
has the distinction of being the first of its kind in North 
Dakota. The |10,000 High School building of brick has a 
splendid gymnasium, is modern, and well equipi)ed in eyery 
wav. 

The ^^'ahll('ton Conseryatory of Music, established in 
lOll* bv Tres. Smith of the State School of Science and E. W 



AVaiipeton : ''The Gateway of the Northwest'^ 81 

Hovt wlio was affiliated witli the same institution, has proved 
to be a governing factor in the musical life of the city. A 
strong force of instructors of wide experience is maintained. 

The city has excellent light and power service, the current 
for same is generated by water power at a large dam through 
which flows the Red River, which is the outlet for all the 
lakes of the Park region of Minnesota, thus producing power 
for manufacturing purposes at Wahpeton. The electric light 
plant besides furnishing 15 miles of lighted streets for the 
city, and a white way on the main street, also supplies cur- 
rent for illuminating and motive power for twelve cities and 
villages in the vicinity. 

A complete sewer system, and a good water supply of 
unlimited capacity, are numbered among the numerous util- 
ities of the city. The |20,000 Filtration Plant gives Wahpe- 
ton the very best of water service. The plant receives the 
water from the center of the stream above the dam in the 
Otter Tail River. The Avater runs through many filtering 
l)rocesses, and is made perfectly pure by the time it gets to 
the large water basin. The city has two miles of bithulithic 
pavement and thirty miles of concrete sidewalks. 

Of the manufacturing industries located at Wahpeton, 
the ])rincii)al one is the Northwestern Sheet and Iron ^^^)rks, 
Mhich has the largest output in the state. This concern was 
established in 1910, and has four traveling salesmen to can- 
vass the territory it covers. The capacity of the j)lant is 800 
feet of sheet per day. Resides selling corrugated culverts, 
the Sheet and Iron Works act as jobbers of road machinery. 
Then there are the Wahpeton Roller Mills, a fireproof struc- 
ture of concrete, brick and steel, costing |45,000. The stor- 



82 



XoRTH Dakota of Today 



age capacity of the mill is 2.'>.0()0 barrels, and has a capacity 
of 175 barrels i)er day. 

Amoug the Avholesale houses located at Wahpeton, is the 
well-known firm of Leach & (Jamble Co., whose corps of trav- 
eling salesmen coyer the eastern part of tlie state as well as 
the northeastern i)art of South Dakota, and a part of Minne- 
sota. The Wagner (/and}' Comi)any is a wholesale tirni that 
covers the eastern part of North Dakota. Other industries 



A,~,„i,. If^hpHcn. .V, D. 




The Armory, Wahpeton, N. D. 

are: The Bottling Works, the Flax Tow Mill, The Wahpeton 
Marble Works, Steam Laundry and a Hook IJinderv. 

Wahpeton is a city of excejjtionally tine railway facili- 
ties; being on three transcontinental railroads, the main line 
of the Great Northern and branch lines of the Chicago, Mil- 
waukee and St. Paul, and the Northern Pacific railroads. The 
Milwaukee is crossed by the Soo Line at Fairmount, 14 miles 
south, giving a splendid opportunity for direct connection 
with Canadian cities and the Pacific Coast. These lines furn- 
ish Wahpeton with excellent intercourse with the world at 
large, assuring thereby its future welfare. 

The social life of the city is enlivened by the many 
fraternal organizations, that have splendid lodge homes, as 



AVahpetox : "The Gateway of the Northwest^^ 83 

well as l»y the women's clubs, all being jointly responsible for 
the spirit of good fellowship that exists in the eonmuinity. 
At the Opera House a high class of road shows, and eastern 
talent of marked ability are featured during the season. The 
two Moti<»n Picture Theatres cater select and varied pro- 
grams, and thus reci-eation is provided to suit the tastes and 
purposes of the many. 

AVahpeton has two beautiful parks, chief of these is the 
Island Park, The natural attractions of the park, its shady 
wood the win<ling river, the ])leasant walks, the soft carpet 
of grass, alone make it the ideal spot for recreation, as well 
as for the many picnics, Sunday afternoon concerts, and other 
forms of amusement that are held there during the summer 
months. The Wahpeton -Breckenridge street car line brings 
many from the neighboring city to this pleasant rendezvous. 

The annual Richland County Fair held at Wahpeton, is 
one of the city's greatest assets, as well as a means to stimu- 
late — through the competition for prizes — the best talents 
of the people of the county to a higher degree of efficiency, 
in the various lines of production. Aside from that, they 
are a pleasurable occasion and eagerly looked forward to by 
the people of Richland County. 




Main Street, Grafton, N. D. 

CHAPTER XIII. 



GRAFTON: "THE CITY OF PROSPEROUS HOMES" 

Grafton, "The City of Prosperous Homes," is the eouiitv 
seat of Walsh County, and has a population of 3000. A 
little less than forty years ago, Grafton was an Indian settle- 
ment, abounding with primitive conditions, and various hard- 
ships were the lot of the early pioneer. The tii-st settlers 
came to the vicinity in ISTS, the major portion of them 
settled along the borders of the picturesque Park River. Most 
of the claims consisted of KJO acres, and generally in the 
form of a rectangle one mile in lengtli, and one-fourth of a 
mile in breadth, and a portion of each piece of land bordering 



Grafton : "The City of Prosperous Homes" 85 

on the river. Tlie prairie land was at that time considered 
of little vahie, and no one cared to brave the hardships of 
settling- on the dreary open prairie. 

In 1881, the St. Panl, Minneapolis, and Manitoba rail- 
road was extended from Grand Forks to Grafton, this after- 
ward became the Great Northern ; and in 1885 the Northern 
Pacific built its line through the city to Winnipeg. After the 
location of the railroad, the town had been fully determined 
u^jon, and townsite promoters were upon the grounds, and 
began the sale of lots as soon as the crop was harvested oft" 
the original townsite. 

At the time the first train arrived in Grafton, the place 
had a population of 400 and about thirty places of business. 
The population began steadily increasing from the time the 
railroad was surveyed, and within a year it had increased 
to 1500. From that time to the present the growth has 
been the steady nominal growth of a healthy city. 

Grafton has the distinction of being the first city in 
the state to municipally own its electric light plant, and the 
city has been lighted by electricity since 1889. It also had 
the first free Public Library in the state, which was organized 
in 1896. The city has a water system of sufficient size to 
more than amply supply Avater for commercial and domestic 
purposes. The two wells are three hundred feet deep and 
the fire pressure varies from 80 to 100 pounds. The city 
has fifteen miles of cement sidewalks and cedar block paved 
streets in the principal residence and business districts. 

Grafton takes its place among the leading cities in North 
Dakota, in its up-to-date and efficient public school system. 
There are three school buildings, with an enrollment of about 



86 



2s'0RTii Dakota of Today 



613 scholars, and a teaching force of tAveuty-five teadiers. 
The teaching staff of the High School numbers twelve, six of 
whom are men, an unnsnal percentage in a North Dakota 
high school. In addition to the regular four year academic 
courses, strong agricultural, commercial, and Normal de- 
partments are maintained. Grafton is one of the live cities 
selected in 1010 to receive a special gift of |2500 annually 




Walsh County Court House, Grafton, N. D. 



from the state for the support of an agricultural department. 
An expert who devotes all his time to teaching agriculture is 
employed throughout tlie year, and extension work is feat- 
ured. Here also is located the State Institution for tlie 
Feeble-Minded. 

In 1892, the citizens erected the National Guard Armory 
at a cost of $10,000, but the company was organized as early 
as 1885. Ccmipany "('"s" tii-st call to service was in LS.'^T, 
during an outbreak of Turtle Mountain Indians; in 1888 to 



Grafton : "The City of Prosperous Homes^^ 87 

preserve peace diiriDg the Collier murder trial ; in 1893 during 
the epidemic of Coxeyism ; and on April 26, 1898 at the 
country's call in the Spanish-American AA\ir. In 1900 a beau- 
tiful soldiers' monument ^yas erected by Walsh County and 
its citi/ens as a tribute to the heroic deeds of the members 
of Company "C," who sacrificed their lives while serving 
their country in the Spanish-American war in the Philippines. 

Among the most imposing of public buildings is the 
Masonic Temple erected at a cost of |30,000; the County 
Court House; the large brick Opera House; the seven fine 
church edifices, which represent an investment of .|75,000. 
and practically all the leading denominations; and a fine 
Carnegie Public Library, as also the Deaconess Hospital, 
which is under the management of the Lutheran church, and 
is a large, well-appointed and exceedingly well-managed in- 
stitution. The city has three banks with an aggregate siiiu 
of .f 1,400,000 in bank deposits, who are well-able to take care 
of the business interests of the city, and help finance new 
industries. 

Of the manufacturing industries located in Grafton, the 
jx.dler Mills take the leading place; these manufacturing in 
the neighborhood of 200,000 barrels of flour per year, and 
nearly three quarters of a million bushels of wheat are 
ground annually. A thriving industry is the local Bottling 
Works, where is manufactured on an average of 8000 cases 
of carbonated beverages per month, and fully 192,000 bottles 
are shipped and distributed to various customers. In addition 
to this the firm distributes pure crystal water, which has stood 
the test of chemical analysis. The water is taken from a 
spring in the vicinity of the factory. The local distribution 



88 NouTii Dakota of Today 

of this product alone, averages 1,300 gallons per month. The 
city also has a Cigar Factory, and Monument Works. 

Excellent passenger and freight service is given by the 
Great Northern and Northern Pacific Companies, which op- 
erate eight passenger trains daily through the city, with an 
additional tri-weekly mixed train on the Morden branch. 
Also excellent automobile highways pass through the city, 
linking it to metropolitan cities of Minnesota and Manitoba. 
One is the ''Meridan Road" connecting Winnipeg, Man., on 
the north and Galveston, Tex., on the south. 

In its small Public Museum of birds and animals, Graf- 
ton has an institution of decided interest. It is maintained 
by W. H. Williams, the taxidermist, who has had thirty-five 
years of practical experience, and whose products are a 
source of pride in some of the best homes from North Dakota 
to southern California. His specimens are displayed in some 
of the leading state and national institutions. His works 
have been exhibited at some of the foremost state fairs; and 
at the world fair at St. Louis, and Chicago, have been highly 
comj)limented on by some of the best judges of art in the 
United vStates. Mr. AVilliams is connected with the biological 
department at Washington, D. C. 

Grafton is typically a city of homes, and its social en- 
vironment is that of liome inHuence, and of sane, healthy 
l»leasures. Skirting the city is the beautiful Park River, of- 
fering delightful strolls along its banks to tlie lover of nature. 
Since the Leistikow Memorial Park was established in 1915, 
eiul»racing '2'2 acres, including three acres of natural timber, 
on the bank of the Park River, it has been the scene of many 
])icnics and other sources of amusement. Drives have been 
laid out making it most accessible, as well as a pleasure for 



GuAFTON : "The City of ruosi'EKOus Homes" 



89 



the antos to drive into and out of the park. The river was 
cleared out, docks built for boating and bathing, and the 
park is now one of the most attractive recreation spots in 
that part of the state. 

In the spring of 191G, the services of Prof. Waldron of 
the State Agricultural College were secured to lay out the 
drives, and plan for the future improvement and beautifying 



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^^fo-.m'^--',.:^8 




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^^M^^QR^SHHHfl 


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BBHRHHi 



Residence Street, Grafton, N. D. 

of this ])ark. The walks were graveled, and drives graded 
and dragged, and tennis courts laid out in the central portion 
of the park. Two bath houses, a bandstand, and a lai'ge pa- 
vilion with concrete floor were erected at a cost of f 1300, 
and the bathing and boating facilities were improved. 
Through the co-operation of the city council, the drives, 
buildings, and all portons of the park were lighted by elec- 
tricity. In the spring of 1918, bronze and stone monuments 
were placed at the entrance, and shrubbery and more trees 
planted, it being a plan of the trustees of the park to make 



<M) 



XoiiTii Dakota uf Today 



ir a thiiiji; of beauty and eiijoyiiient for the people of Graftou 
and the siii-i-(nnidiii<> coiuiti-y. 

It was owiiii; to the maj^iiiticeiit j^ift of F. W. Lei.stikow 
a Wiiiuipeg man, and former resident of Grafton, that the 




Leistikow Memorial Park, Grafton, N. D. 

l»aik came to mature so rajtidly. Mr. Leistikow oFfer(Ml a 
iiift of fridOO to tlie ]iark district for tlie pnr])ose of erectinji: 
a ])ai*k in the memory of liis deceased parents, also former 
residents of Grafton. The }»oard accepted this splendid don- 
ation and hnriied the work, so that (m duly 14, 191G, the park 
was formally opened to the public. 

The club life of Grafton is active and stimulating. Be- 
sides the Commercial Club of 221 members, there are two 
women's clubs. Grafton is also a city with well-e(|uipi)ed 



Grafton : "The City of Prosfeuous Homes'^ 91 

shoAv lioiises that play to road attractions, one of which is 
the beautiful ()])era House, erected at a cost of nearly .|1S. ()()(). 
having folding chairs and a seating capacity of five hundred, 
and Avliere some of the choicest plays are staged. Tlien there 
are two ^'audevi]le and Motion Picture Theatres. Here are 
shown nightly the highest film productions distributed by the 
world's leading film jobbers, thus ])lacing the city second to 
none, as a mecca to visiting lovers of stage productions. 



f:^ 




Main Street, Lidgerwood, N. D. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



LIDGEKWOOJ): 'THE CITY OF PROGRESS" 



Nestliii"- ill a rich ajiriciiltnral district, in the famous 
Red River Valley, lies one of the most progressive and pleas- 
ant little cities of North Dakota. Lidgerwood, "The City of 
IM-ogress." lias a ]>()]»nlati()n of over 1-00. It is the landmark 
of early pioneers. Into the little hamlet of early days came 
the sifted population of the best countries in Europe — the 
stoutest an<l tlie In-avest, and the sturdiest and the fittest — 
for none hut the brave and staunch will undertake to break 
the way for civilization. If the whisperings of the cool even- 
ing breezes could be understood, what tales we would hear of 
long ago, as they paused in their course to embrace many a 
weary, struggling pioneer, to whisper new courage into his 



Lidgerwood: ''The City of Puogress" 93 

ear. cooliiij; liis sweated l)r<»w, and leaviiiii him refreshed to 
meet the next (hiy. 

Lidgerwood is now the home of a pi-osi)erons and eon- 
tented people. As the years of its span grew apace, new 
people induced by the live commercial spirit of the commun- 
ity, came and developed new and more varied avenues of 
business, and the town became noted for its large volume of 
business activities, and its possibilities for a })Oor man to 
make good. Civic pride developed rapidly and with it came 
substantial improvements of lousiness and residence prop- 
erty, until now the city is noted for its large substantial bus- 
iness blocks and handsome homes. 

This civic spirit has taken many forms, perhaps the most 
notable being the large City Hall, erected in 1911, which is 
admittedly one of the best in the state. Cement sidewalks, 
well-graded oiled streets, com])lete sewer system, municipal 
ownership of waterworks, a brilliant AYhite AVay that illum- 
inates the city in a dazzling light, a Public Library contain- 
ing a choice selection of 2000 books, beautiful homes, well- 
kept lawns, flowers, cool allies of trees in the residence dis- 
trict, splendid churches, fraternity buildings, and the ])ark 
started two years ago, where numerous trees, shrubs and 
flowers have been planted, benches installed, which in the 
course of a few years will be an attractive spot for recrea- 
tion — all attest to the ^'home jn-ide" of the Lidgerwood people. 
The city is fortunate in having two exceptionally strong- 
banks, to take care of the business interests and assist new 
industries. One of the most beautiful bank buildings in the 
State of North Dakota is the First National liank of Lidger- 
w^ood, erected in 1914 at a cost of |41,000. It is built of 
Bedford rock and Vermont granite, with four ])olished gran- 



04 



XoHTPi Dakota of Today 



ite pillars. The inteiioi- is finished in light Italian marble 
trimmed with Italian red marble at the base of wainseoting; 
the lobby Hoor is made of tine (juality tarazo ; the furniture 
and woodword is all mahogany with bronze fixtures; and in- 
direct lighting system has been installed ; the decorations are 
in green and gold ; and the floors of the work rooms are cov- 
ered with cork lineoleum. This ])iece of architecture is un- 
doubtedly a thing of beauty, and has called forth much admir- 
ation from the traveling public, and is a source of pride to 




First National Bank, Lidgerwood, N. D. 

the citizens of Lidgeiwood. Another imposing structure of 
which the city is justly i)roud, is the large fine brick building 
of the Farmers' National Bank, on the second floor of which 
are situated the offices of the Lidgerwood Rural Telephone 
Co., whose lines extend into almost every home in the city, 
and to all farms in territory tributary to city. The asgre- 
gate sum of bank deposits is |1, 000,000. 

Lidgerwood has fine railroad facilities, being on the 
Great Nortliern and Soo Lines; ten mixed trains, ]>assenger 
and freight ])ass tlirough daily. The princi])al manufacturing 
industry is that of the KoUei- Mills, which has a cai)acity of 



Lidgekwood: '"Tpie City of Progress" 



95 



300 barrels ])er day, and maintains a large ])ayroll, and also 
supply the city with light and power seryice. Then there are 
three large automobile tirms doing- a large business and 
carrying a large pay roll. There are very few people in the 
city or on the farms that do not own an automobile, and 
in ease of some big event or celebration held in Lidgerwood, 




Farmers National Bank, Lidgerwood, N. D. 

the streets are simply blocke<l with autos bringing people 
from all directions. 

In educational facilities, Lidgerwood ranks with the 
best in the state. The i)ride of the city is the first-class High 
School, whose students have held first place in many of 
the state declamatory and athletic contests, and a large per- 
centage of its graduates enter each jear higher institutions 
of learning. The graded schools have a s|)]endid corps of 
teachers, for Lidgerwood citizens believe in nothing but 
the very best for their children. Besides the public schools 
there is the St. Boniface Parochial school, a beautiful three- 
story brick building erected at a cost of |20,000. 

Surrounding Lidgerwood are well-kept i)rosperous 
farms, producing a rich yearly harvest, the harvest of the 
1918 cro]) yielding on an average 30 bushels of wheat and 



90 XoijTii Dakota of Today 

55 biisliels of oats per acre. Tlie farmers are engaged to 
a great extent in diversified farming and also stock raising. 
One of the best-known stock farms is the "Morava Stock 
Farm/' owned by Anton Lipovsky, where numerous pure 
bred Percheron horses and Sliortliorn cattle are kept. The 
farmers have never known a total crop failure. One con- 
spicuous attraction about these farms is the splendid grove 
of trees that surrounds the cozv. iiKidern home of the farmer. 
Every modern convenience is beinii introduced to lessen the 




High and Public Scliool. Lidgerwood, N. D. 

labor of the farm wife. The rural route system has been 
installed, em])loying four mail carriers each covering thirty 
miles i)er day, thus bringing news of the world to the farm- 
er's very door. 

There are many fraternal organizations in the city, each 
having a large mend>ershi}) ; among these are the AA'oodmen, 
the Masons, the Western IJohemian l>rotherhood, the Cath- 
olic Workmen, the Foresters, and the Western ISoliemian 
Catholic Association. The stimulus of social life is rejiresent- 



LiDOERWooi) : 'The City of I/rogkess" 



97 



ed by the Li(l<>erwoo(l Women's Club, which has done much 
for public welfare; the Civic Improvement and Study Club, 
which looks after the beautifyin<> of the city; and the Auxil- 
iary to the Women's Club, which is composed of about twenty 
unmarried ladies, and oives annually home talent ]days for 
the benefit of the library, and makes a social home for the 
lad}^ teachers. 

The ])atriotism of the ]>eople of Lid^erwood is ])est man- 
ifested by the 80 foot pole erected on the main street which 







-A?l-»^l^M^ig^isg'=feff:r-S~C,'t.aa^J,:i^s-^^^^ 



A Residence Street, Lidgerwood, N. D. 



proudly bears a McAdoo flai^' with a star from the (Jovern- 
ment and testifies to the fact that the citizens have over 
double subscribed for Liberty Bonds. Side by this flag- 
is the home service flag thickly studded with stars represent- 
ing the boys that were in the service of Uncle Sam in the 
World War. That the citizens were back of their boys was 
proved at the Ked Cross Auction Sale held in Lidgerwood 
in Mav 1918, when the sum of |G,132.r>7 was realized from 



98 XoKTii Dakota of Today 

tlie sale. (^)ll^<i(lel•illJi■ that the city has only a ])()i>uhiti(>n 
of 1200, the tijrnres speak for themselves. 

The Udj-eiwood Coiicert Band, coiisistiiig- of 18 pieces, 
mives coiK-ei-ts on the main street twice a week. These con- 
certs brinj? ont many farmers from the vicinity. The Motion 
l*ictnre Theatre gives a select and varied ]>rogram, while 
at the liohemian Hall, which is the lodge home of the West- 
ei-n liohemian Brotherhood, and is e(inip])ed with stage fa- 
cilities and a large seating ca]»a.'ity, ai'e staged some of the 
leading attractions of traveling theatrical conii)anies. The 
city is also Ihe animal Ik. me of the < Miantan(|na, thns a varied 
program of recreations and entertainments is provided to 
snit the tastes of many. There is also an Automobile Chib, 
its members having bnilt a club house at Tewankan Park on 
Lake Tewankan, and frecjuent i>leasant excursions are made 
to this summer liome, A\'here fishing and entcM'taining is 
indulged in freely. 

The church lite of the city is r-e])resented by six churches 
and all having han<lsome edifices. There is the vSt. John 
Nepomuck Catholic church. th(^ St. JJoniface Tatholic church, 
the Ei)iscopal, the l>a]>tist. the ^Nfethodist, and the Lutheran 
church. All churches have. a large attendance and jdav an 
im])ortant jcirt iri the social life. 




Fantastic Carving of Weird Bluffs, Domes and Castles 

CHAPTER XV. 



NATURAL BEAT TIES AND ST MMER HESORTS <)E 
NORTH DAKOTA 

The natural beauties of Xoi-tli Dakota, thonoli not those 
of destruction and desolation, perhaps exceed the far-famed 
gardens of Italy. True, no Alps nor Appeuines burst from 
their broad bosom and rear their cold dead peaks mile upon 
mile into heaven's mighty vault ; no A>suvius belches his 
angrv fame at the stars ; no Niagara churns its green waters 
into a rainbow tinted foam ; nor do we have the savage roar 
of the avalanche. But here we have the sun-kissed x^rairies, 
the ])nr])le tints of the lotus eater's land; the i)astoranieau- 
ties of Tempe's delightful home; glorious sunsets, and sun- 
rises, whose gleaming gold might ransom a universe of kings. 
And for scenery, nothing can surj)ass the natural beauties 
of our "Bad Lan<ls" in the Missouri Slo])e. 

This Artists' Park of surpassing beauty of color, with 
una(»i)roached carving of geometric forms and graceful 
curves, was misnamed the "Bad Lands" bv the earlv Indians, 



100 



NouTii Dakota of Today 



and has retained tlie name to this day. The Indians l>ein.<:; 
a ])i-iniitive, snjtei-stitnons race, could not nndei-stan<l or ac- 
count for tlie burninji' tires, the strange forms of the blutt's, 
and the many colors on tlie hillsides. They were fearful 
of evil si)irits, and called tlu^ place "Bad Medicine." Indians 
of early days never made a ])ermanent camp there. They 
came to hunt, but their stay Avas short. This reji'ion where 
the lignite beds have burned out in })ast ages, and the sur- 
face has caved in, ])resents formations so weii-d as to seem 




Turrets and Piers of the Bad Lands 

im])Ossible. There arc great castles, turi-ets, spires, and 
lofty columns capped by huge boulders that have saved them 
from erosion. 

Characteristic of the I>a<l Lands is the weird and j)ictur- 
escjue carving of the many bluffs and stee])-sided hills and 
isolated buttes. The l>ad Lands are tyi)ically developed along 
the Little Missouri, and ^ledora is located in their midst. 
T^nusual beauty and vai-icty is a<lded to ihoso fantastic foi-ms 
by the diversity of colors. The colors are rang(Ml in broad 
bands along tlie faces of the IJluffs — gray, yellow, black and 
red of every shade and tint, together with browns and pinlcs. 
The banded and many-hued blutfs, buttes, domes, and pin- 



Natural Beauties and Summer Resorts 



101 



nacles are a cliai-acteristic tVatiiiv of the Had Lauds and in- 
crease their attractiveness from a scenic ])()int of view. 

In 1889, J. W. Foley, Sr., guided the Marcinis de Mores, 
on returning from a liunting tri]), to the top of a small butte 
near the Cedar Canon, wliere a Avonderful view of the whole 
of those weird Bad Lands can be gotten. Tlie Marcpiis after 
gazing entranced at the sight which met his eyes, turned and 
remarked to Mr. Foley: "that he had just returned from a 
trip which took him nearly over the world, but nowhere on 




Carved Peaks and Castles of the Bad Lands 

liis trip was there a sight like the one he was looking at to 
be seen." The view can only be compared to an immense 
coliseum extending twenty-five miles away in a semi-circle, 
with the river in the foreground showing through the green 
foliage of the trees along its banks, like a band of silver. 
Perhaps no more striking description of a landscape was 
ever attempted than when ex-Fresident Koosev^elt said : ''that 
in the Bad Lands he always felt as if somehow they looked 
just as Foe's tales and ])oems sound." 

There is no need for the people of North Dakota to 
seek scenic beauty outside their own state, when it exists 
in such lavishness at their verv door. The Bad Lands are 



102 



North Dakota of Today 



of a icinarkahle beauty, witli tlieir vast ruins of petritied 
forests, witli the fallen trees which lie strewn anions the 
carverl i)eaks. an<l castles of brick, coal and orjianic remains; 
with piers and bridges of stones, resembling the Axorks of 
an ancient people. 

Among the i>laces of interest to visitors are, '"The Odar 




Ruins of Petrified Forests. Great Castles and Lofty Columns 

Canon," "The IJurning Mine." ''The Cnster Trail Kanch," 
before which on the oi»en tiat, Custer rested on his inarch to 
the fatal field of Little Big Horn "Te})ee Bottom"" is another 
interesting feature, it consists of an oi-iginal Indian tepee, 
which was left there by the Indians who wintered there after 
the Custer Massacre. 




Bird's Eye View of the Proposed Killdeer Mountain Park 

THE K I L L I ) I : K H :\ro T X T A I N S 

Aiiotliei- ])la('e of natural beauty are the Killdeei- Moni;- 
taiu.s, wliicli at no distant date, with fedei-al aid, are t.) 
he preserved as a natural ])ark. And it is ri<i,ht that it is 
to be so, for the Killdeer Mountains are too liistorical a 
place to ever have passe<l into private ownershi]*. Aside 
from the associations of histoi-ical value, the Killdeer Moun- 
tains is truly a beautiful ])la('e, with its many s])rings of 
pure Avater, and Avonderful sceneiy. There are deej) iiulcht^s 
covered witli tind)er, tiowers, A\ild fruits, s])arklin<i' streams 
of water tricklinii' down the hillsides, fed al :)n_ii the way by 
springs. 

Tu the early days tlie mountains were full of wild »ame, 
and were the headcjuarters where men made a business dur- 
ing the fall and A\inter months by killing elk, deer and ante- 
lope, taking just the hind (piarters and hauling tliem to 
shipping points for market, leaving the front (juarters for 
the wolves and coyotes to ])ros]»er on. IJuffalo hunters also 



104 



XoRTii Dakota of Today 



^Vere domiciled here, and great herds were slaughtered here 
just for their hides. For years it had been the home of se- 
curity and protection to the wild life, where the mother elk 
with its yoi .^ felt (juiti^ secure by bedding down near the 
top of a timbered gulch or mountain side, and as they espied 
the si)ortsman coming fi-oiii b(dow, catching a track now 
tuid then in the dry sand, they woidd ]»la\ him the trick 
of disa])pearing over the top and down the other side, and 
be lost from human sight for another day. P)Ut as the years 




Medicine Hole, Kllldeer Mountain Park 

went by, man studied the chai-acteristics and habits of wihl 
life, and as there were no la\ys to ])rotect the game, they 
exterminated eyerything l»ut an occasional deer and ante- 
lope With the 1100,000 appropriation that the Park (\m\- 
mission ho])es to receive in the near future, it is intended 
to re-stock and develop this game preserve. 

One of the many i)laces of interest in the Killdeers, is 
the mysterious cavern known as "Medicine Hole," situated 
on a mountain top, which bi-eathes forth a continuous stream 



Natural 1>eautie8 and Summer Resorts 105 

of cool air, and was reverenced by tlie Indians. It lias been 
explored to a depth of 80 feet. This was as far as the 
explorer dared to venture, claiming the temperature was so 
cold he could not stand it, and the climbing more difficult 
the deeper he went. This was 90 al)oye weather. In th3 
winter time when the weather is very cold — say ^^0 l)elow — 




Dead Man's Gulch (on hill back of residence) 

a white vapor is seen coming up like the smoke from a huge 
smokestack, going hundreds of feet u}» in the air, and can 
be seen for miles on a cold still day. Sight-seers have thrown 
tons of rock into this cave just to hear the disappearing 
sounds. This too, has made it more difficult to explore its 
cavity, since as far as it has been explored has been through 
solid rock. In the ])icture shoAvn, an explorer is just coming 
out, with his hand on a large loose rock that partially 
covei-s the entrance, placed there purposely to lessen the 
danger of the pedestrian. 

Then there is "Dead Man's Gulch," s(> <lee]) that the 
highest top of the elms just throw their ti])s to the sun. and 



106 



XouTPi Dakota of Today 



which contains the remains of many Indian (lea<l, of over 
fifty years ai^o. Tliere is sni)pose(l to l)e an (►jteninii' leading 
from Dead Man's (Julcli into Medicine ll;)h\ l»nt no Avliite 
man lias been able to tind it so far. 

''Lookont Siiinal"* is located on tli(^ highest mountain 
top, not far from M(Mlicin(^ Hole. It is mad(^ of stone in a 
circular form \vitli a hole in th(^ center about three fet^ 
across, in ^^■hicll a tii-e used t » be built by the Indians to 




Lookout Signal, Killdeer Mountain Parlt 

AVarn their tribe of their b»cation, and for otluM- jturposes 
known only to themselves. Old cannon shells, swonls, an<l 
other Indian relics have been ])icked up as late as seven 
years ago. 

The Killdeers. \vhi<-h are located in Dunn Tounty, are 
about 900 feet higher than the suri-oun<ling country. The 
to])ography is rolling to rugged and rough, more or less 
stony, and es]>e;-ially well-watered an<l tind)ered. One of 
the pictures shows u binl's eye view of the ])roposed Killdeei* 
^Mountain Park. Tlie 151 ai k Trail le;ids into the Killdeers, 



Xatuijai. Beauties and Summer Resorts 



107 



and tlins iieai-l}" every Sunday during the summer, 50 to 75 
automobiles are seen looking over the wonders of the moun- 
tains. Numberless have been the outings, celebrations, and 
picnics, that have been held in this wonderland of Dakota. 
Here Avere entertained at one time 3000 ix^ople. who wit- 
nessed barbecues, steer-ro])ing c(mtests, and all the wild west 
stunts that General Cody overlooked. The pure air of the 
mountains has drawn many seeking health, and all have left 



■4/"r-y::-..ji>*^-.'' 





Bsaver Damming a Stream in Killdeer Mountain Park 

Strong and ^^'Cil, with many useful years aluvid of them. 
In the timbei- of tlu^ Killdeers is located tlic Oakdale I*ost- 
ottice. ;!nd also a general store having a gasoline vender, 
where everything from a bull-berry ])ie, to an S-cyliiider car 
can be pur( liased by tlie tourist. 

The afcouipaiiying ]>ictni-e sliov/s one of the s]»ring- 
fed streams dammeil by the beiiver — notice the tiHd)er used 
in the construction of the dam. This stream has a series 
of <1ams, tuid in ( ase of a freshet, sliould one wasli out, the 
next one would hold the water till repairs could be made. 



108 NouTii Dakota of Today 

The water in this picture is six feet deep and extends back 
up stream several hundred feet. The dead timl)er shown in 
picture is caused by Hooding. Beaver never use dead timber 
in their construction work, nothino- but good, sound green 
tind)er, and if ph'iitv is at han<l, the dams are built so sul)- 
etantially that they hold way beyond any man bnill dams, 
except those 1)uilt of cement. 




A Scene Near. WalhaUa 

WALITALLA: 'THE GAKDKX OF THE (JODS" 

Those unfamiliar with North Dakota probably would 
not look for much in the way of summer resorts within its 
borders, but the fact is the state is rich in opportunities 
for recreation and relaxation in ])laces that seem designated 
by nature for that purpose. V\) in the northern ])art of 
the state, the Turtle ^fountain T^akc Kcgion offers as beau- 
tiful and restful spots as are i<> be found anywhere in the 
Nortlnvest. Among the most beautiful summer resorts is 
Walhalla. "The Oarden of the Gods." Here nature has been 



Natural Beauties and Su.aoier Resorts 109 

particularly lavish in spreadiug her charms. Here every 
summer the Chautauqua Assemblies are held in the far- 
famed Mager Grove, which is almost encircled in the embrace 
of the Pembina River. 

The delightful shade of the tall stately trees, the running 
spring water, and the carpet of green, makes this an ideal 
place for rest and recreation. Here visitors find bathing 
facilities, either in deep water or along a shallow beach, 
where even the smallest children are perfectly safe. A motor 
boat makes regular trips up the river to accommodate those 
who enjoy boating through the ever-changing charms of the 
beautiful Pembina. An abundance of row boats are also 
kept, and these are rented at nominal rentals to visitors. 

Within easy distance are many interesting spots — the 
State Park, which is cared for by the state appropriation, 
is only a scant quarter mile from the Cliautauqua grounds. 
A half mile in another direction brings one to the Ceme- 
teries with the Martyrs' grave and monument. The monu- 
ment was erected in memorial of three missionaries who 
were murdered by the Sioux Indians in 1852. Visitors often 
make side trips to the Mennonite village, six miles to the 
north into Canada, and to old Fish Tray, eight miles to the 
west, where the magnificent Canyon of Pembina, a mile 
wide and five hundred feet deep, leaves a picture impressed 
on the mind that time can never efface. The Walhalla Chau- 
tauqua draws a large patronage from Canada, as well as 
from the state. Many of the visitors bring their own tents 
and cooking facilities. As the Chautauqua is in session for 
several weeks, a most enjoyable time is assured. 




Devils Lake Chautauqua Park 



DEVILS LAKE CHAITAUQUA PARK 



Devils Lake, in Ramsey coiiutv, is known far and wide 
as a delightful summer resort. On its shores are the sum- 
mer liomes of Imndreds of North Dakotans, and it is the 
location of the third largest Chautauqua in tlie United 
States. The lake itself is so large that it classes among the 
inland seas. It is about forty miles in lengtli and varies 
from a few rods to over eight miles in width, the shores 
being lined with beautiful sandy stretches and sections of 
liuge bouhlers de])osited there by the ice during the glacial 
])ei'i(id. This bo<ly of water composing Devils Lake, was 
named by the Indians ''Minnewaukan/' or "Spirit Water,'' 
legends concerning it being of such a character as to suggest 
evil spirits, and finally came to be known as Devils Lake. 

A most interesting feature of this favorite summer re- 
sort is the large Chautauqua Assembly that is held there 
each year, beginning about July 1st, and continuing for 
about fifteen days. The Chautauciua grounds wliich are sit- 
uated on the north shore of the lake, are the most beautiful 
siK)ts in that locality, lying imbedded deep in the natural 



Natural Beauties and Summer Resorts 111 

forest, with liigii elevations overlooking the l)ay, thus afford- 
ing a most splendid view. Here is erected the largest audi- 
torium of any Chautauqua in the country, having a seating 
cai)acity of six thousand. 

Here are to be found, hotels, restaurants, baseball park, 
accommodations for campers, docks for boat landing, bath 
houses on the beaches, and many other facilities for the com- 
fort and i)l('asure of tlie vistiors who for tlie ]»ast (|uarter 
of a century have here found rest, instruction, and recrea- 
tion during the hot summer days. Sailing and l)oating re- 
ceived a new impetus in the spring of 1916, when the Devils 
Lake Yacht and Boat Club, the only incorporated Yacht 
Club west of Minneapolis, constructed a finely-appointed 
club house (m the woo<led shores of the lake. Tlie club has 
a membership of over one hundred. It holds an annual 
regatta which is one of the most interesting events during 
the summer season, and has its regular calendar of dances 
and picnics which make the time i\j past like one pleasant 
holiday. The Fort Totten Indian Band, which is noted for 
its excellence, is one of the many attractions at the great 
Chautau(iua at Devils Lake every summer. 

The Chautau(iua Railway, which rakes tourists and 
passengers from the city of Devils Lake to the Chautauqua 
Park grounds is at the hourly service of the visitors. Ad- 
joining the Chautauijua grounds are the State Militia 
grounds, a tract of about three thousand acres of forest and 
meadow, the drilling grounds have been selected cm a liigJi 
plateau overlooking the central or main section of the lake. 
A two-weeks' camp drill of the entire state militia is arranged 



112 XoRTPi Dakota of Today 

during the dates of the ( 'hautaiKiua session, thus att'ording^ 
a doubly interesting event in Juh' of each year. 

The automobile drives leading from Devils Lake to the 
Chautauqua Park grounds, thence to and through the Militia 
grounds, afford one of the most beautiful drives to be found 
anyAvhere in the Northwest ; and if desired, this trip may be 
continued to the Fort Totten road, and traveling in that 
direction the tourist sees in the distance Devils Heart, a 
high, conical-shaped mountain, so much like a heart in 
shape that it suggests the name by which it is known. 
Further on, one sees the Devils Backbone, just such a back- 
bone as his Satanic majesty should have, full of rough places 
and covered with plenty of fuel to keej) it warm. 

Still on — and one encounters, so close to the road as to 
make one feel like drawing to one side, the Devils Tooth— a 
huge boulder of tooth-like shape fully capable of effective 
mastication. Then one passes on to Fort Totten which was 
founded in ISGl as a defensive measure to protect the United 
States soldiers fr(mi the attacks of the Indians, who had 
surrounded them on the spot later chosen as the site of the 
fort. The entire lake shore of Devils Lake is rich in legen- 
dary tradition, and a talk with the old Chiefs now living on 
the reservation, discloses the method of living practiced by 
the Indians long before the white man ever dreamed there 
was such a spot in America. 




Valley City Chautauqua Park 

AWLLEY CITY CHAUTAUQUA PARK 
It would indeed be hard to find a more enchanting and 
prettier summer resort than the Valley City Chautauqua 
Park, a beautifully wooded spot nestling in the arms of the 
Sheyenne River. Here is the home of the second largest 
Chautauqua Assembly in the United States. In the center 
of the grounds is located a great steel Auditorium which 
has a seating capacity of 4400. Here boating, camping, and 
bathing facilities greet the visitors. The Chautauqua As- 
sembly which lasts fully six weeks, is one of unusual ex- 
cellence, and offers the students attending the Normal Sum- 
mer school a most pleasing and instructive attraction. Here 
during the period of six weeks, each summer finds a large 
and ever-increasing number of state visitors, and Valley City 
residents, who pitch their tents in the cool shade of the 
trees, and enjoy a season of rest, recreation, as well as the 
instruction that is derived from Chautauqua programs. 

As Chautauqua Park is located but one mile south of 
Valley City, it makes a most delightful walk, or if one pre 
fers, one may take advantage of the many conveyances that 



lltt North Dakota of Today 

take visitoi-s l»ack and forth at all lioins of the day until late 
at night, llei-e also a sj)len<lid view is obtained of tiie North- 
ern Pacific High Bridge, which spans the entire Sheyenne 
Valley, and is at its highest point one hundred and eighty 
feet above the Sheyenne River. 

One of the greatest charms of the Chautauqua Park is 
the ideal camp life. For who does not enjoy a season of 
camping in a delightful sjtot, amongst congenial })eoi)le, as 
well as the charm of making new friends. The A'alley City 
Chautauqua Park offers numerous attractions and various 
amusements for both young and old alike. Delightful are 
the walks through the cool shaded allies of the trees, re- 
echoing now and then with the faint music of the distant 
band, and the twittering of birds. In connection with the 
Chautauqua Assembly the Rex Tlieatre of Valley City gives 
a high class of Motion Picture features every evening during 
the six weeks. 

ABERCROMBIE STATE I?ARK 

The State Park situated on the banks of the Red River 
in the northern part of Richland ('ounty, is another place 
of beauty and interest aside from its historical associations. 
It occui)ies the site of old Fort Abercrombie, which was es- 
tablished in 1858, and served as a gateway to our state im- 
migration, and to the pioneers it was the liest-kn(>wn place 
west of St. Cloud, Minn. Here they sought refuge following 
the Sioux Massacre of 18G2. Fort Abercrombie was used 
as a de])ot for su]»i)li<^s. and was a post of great importance 
in the early history of Dakota, and an objective point for the 
troops under Gen. Sully during his campaign against the 
Sioux in 1S()3. In 1S(».">, Catholic missions were first o])ened 
and held at the fort. 



Natural Beauties and Summer Kesorts 115 

At a meeting of the Old Settlers' Association, held at 
Wahpeton. on June 26, 1902, a petition was drafted and sent 
to the Governor and the Legislature of the State, to pro- 
vide for an appropriation for the purchase of the ground 
of tlie old site of Fort Abercrombie, for the purposes of a 
Public Park, in honor of the hardy pioneers who made the 
settlement secure by their dauntless courage and unfalter- 
ing determination ; same to be in charge of the Richland 
County Old Settlers' Association and the State Historical 
Society. To both of these organizations much credit is due 
for their effort in preserving old landmarks where the first 
struggles for civilization in this state took place. 

The bill was passed, and the park became a reality. It 
is a six-acre tract on the banks of the Red River. Over five 
hundreds trees were planted, consisting of evergreens, box 
elders, and ornamental shrubs. These trees are now in a 
most flourishing condition. A fence was built around the 
entire grounds, and the whole park seeded to white clover. 
Water has been put in, so that the whole park is well sup- 
plied. A few years ago a museum was Iniilt of logs, shipped 
from the pine regions of Minnesota. Already the museum 
contains a great many relics of ])ioneer days, such as pictures 
of pioneer settlers, historic furniture, etc. There is also 
a tennis court, and a pavilion where the people of Abercrom- 
bie Township hold their celebrations. 

From the Pavilion a beautiful view can be obtained of 
the entire country. On every i)urpling summer day, the 
rustle of the winds through the sobbing willows and mourn- 
ful elms will pour forth a solemn requiem, and bespeak of 
the immortality of the patriotism here commemorated. 




Prof. Frederick H. Koch, 
Founder and Director of Communal Playmaking 

CHAPTER XVI. 



COMMUNAL PLAYMAKING 

The State University at Grand Forks has made distinct 
contribntions to conimnnal drama nnder the ins])inug lead- 
ership ot" Professor Frederick H. Koch. Tlie achievements 
of the University ah)nii tliis line are notable not only for 
tlie manner of their presentation, and their (piality, but for 
the unusual attractive scene of the performance. The "Bank- 
side Theatre," as it is appropriately named, is an open air 
stage and auditorium, located on the two sides of a little 
stream that flows in graceful curves througli tlie University 
urounds. A beautiful natural bend of tlie water course 



CO-M.MUXAL PlAYMAKIXG 



11' 



rounds out the frout of the stage, and on the opposite bank 
is the amphitheatre, whose gentle slope accommodates an 
audience of three thousand. 

The stage is fully a hundred feet long by forty feet 
deep. Tlie stream is eighteen feet Avide at this point, and is 
not only a most i)ictures(|ue feature, with its beautiful re- 




Heralds Announcing the Tercentenary Masque 
"Shakespeare, the Playmaker," at the Bankside Theatre 

flections l)oth in daylight and at night, but contril)utes ef 
fective acoustic properties. Expert advice from some of the 
highest exponents of dramatic art have been utilized in 
])lanning for the future enrichment of this natural theatre. 
Trees and shrubs for a stage screen, and a colonnade of 
Greek columns on the crest of the bankside, will in due time 
furtlier add to its delightful charm. 

Here in this attractive outdoor theatre two communal 
])lays have been jiroduced : The historical play, "A Pageant 
of the Northwest," in 1914; and the second a masque^ 
"Shakespeare, the Playmaker,'' in 1916. The beautiful Bank- 
side Theatre was formally dedicated when the presentation 
of tlie ''Pageant of the Xortli-Wesf' was given before an 



118 XoKTii Dakota of Today 

audience wiiicli tilkMl the seats and overtlowed onto tlie 
grassy banks on either side, on May 29, 1914. The story 
of the pageant was in fonr i)arts, and presented tlie story of 
the Northwest — tlie romantic tale of the painted Indian 




Randall Larson as "Verendyre" in "A Pageant of the Northwest 

warrior and the brave pioneer white man. Tlie lirst three 
parts marked the si)irit of "Westward Hoi" eml)odied in 
the three French exi)lorers — Radisson, LaSalle and A'eren- 
drye. The fourth i)art showed the work consmiunated by 
Captains Clark and Lewis in their triumphant march to the 
great west sea. 



Communal Playmaking 119 

Tlie iiatui-al stage i)reseiite(l a woiulerfiil setting — and 
in that setting, witli threatening clouds passing over the sky 
as the sun sank below the liorizon, Avith the stars coining 
into view overhead in the fading light, with verdure of early 
summer everywhere and the lights of the campus twinkling 
through the trees, and the water of the little stream glisten- 
ing as its placid surface was l)roken in)w and then l)v the 
passing of a canoe, some three hundred young people of the 
University enacted the histor} -making tragedies of the pio- 
neer days. 

The mascjue, "Shakespeare, the Playmaker," which was 
presented on the IJankside Theatre in June, 1916, was de- 
signed and written by a group of twenty students at the 
University to commemorate the tercentenary of William 
Shakespeare. It is a work of notable merit, filled with live- 
liness and humor, and no little imagination. The idea of 
the Work, original in conception, aimed to portray the be- 
ginnings of Shakespeare's art — suggested by the players' 
scenes in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" — and his mature 
achievements with the vision of the new world of America, 
as embodied in "The Tempest." 

Notable in its presentation and other aspects, the most 
unique feature of the masque was its communal authorship. 
It was on the same plan "The Pageant of the North-West" 
was created two years before. That production superbly in- 
terpreted the history of our own country that impressed the 
thousands who ])artici])ated as actors and spectators with 
the spirii of nationality and co-operation. The mas(iue of 
"Shakes] )eare, the Playmaker," produced by many minds and 
hands, undei- the leadership of Prof. Koch, and united in a 
bfnid of syin]tathy, a S"oi-e of M'riters. hiiiidre<ls of actors, and 



120 XouTii Dakota of Today 

thousands of auditors, was a notaldt^ (waiiiph^ of (•oimiiunit y 
effort. In keeping- A\it]i the aim of this group of writers, 
the masque dealt with the gradual evolution, into permanent 
dramatic expression of the spirit of the life of the people, 
and linked up felicitously Avith our own land, the genius of 
the master playwright. 

Emanating from ditferent jtens, tlu^ ])roduction was en- 
riched with varying viewpoints, yet possessed artistic unity 
and vibrated with an expression of native poetry in dra 
matic color and lines. This democracy of composition — in 
the wor<ls of I'rof. Koch: "Marks another conti-ibntion to 
the new i)ageantry of the i»eoj>le, and suggests a still further 
development of co-operative authorship in making commun- 
ity drama.'" The people have often participated impressively 
as actors in a community play, but it has been shown that 
they can also, l)y collaborating under pro])er leadership, 
"create a drama democratic — a new^ art — born of the people, 
embodying their own interpretations of life." 

In its Bankside Theatre, the University of Xortii Dakota 
has the distinction of having the first out-door theatre to 
utilize curve of a stream to separate the stage from the 
auditorium. It fittingly separated the ]»eople of the audi- 
torium from the pretending people of the stage, and casts 
a spell of enchantment over the entire mystic effect. Here 
pageantry and all kinds of poetic <lrama may flourish. 
Entrances can be made l)y water, which is often convenient 
as well as picturesque. 

Upim its site, not so long ago that living lesidents can- 
not remember it, the Indians used to trade with the pioneer 
whites. The fact is regarded as syndK)lic. I'or Prof. Kocli 
feels that his work has proved that "])ractically the fii-st gen- 



Communal Playmakixg 



121 



eratiou of Americans fioin onr prairie pioneers, can trans- 
late its own thrillino; life into dramatic and literary forms — 





rt#^5 ^^l^?^E^^M£r'S^:^^3£Bl^^d^^-i 



Agnes O'Connor as "Ariel" in "Shakespeare, The Playmaker 



promising much towards a genuinely native art to come." In 
other words, the dramatic department of the University aims 



122 XoKTU Dakota of Today 

at orijiiiial diaiiiatic exi)i-essi<)ii. The metlKxl of "coiiimuiial 
autliorslii]*'" wiiicli lias evolved spontaneously in Prof. Koch's 
classes, has had sufficient happy results to i»i-oniise i^Teat 
thin<;s in the future. The execution of the work is never 
amateurish an<l often reaches a high literary level. 

(Ninnnunal Playinaking is an achievement and the out- 
growth of the "Dakota Playmakers," founded originally as 
th(^ "Stock and Huskin Society/' (if the University )f North 
Dakota, some eight years ago, and devoted to translating 
our i)ionee]- soil into fresh dramatic form. Outgrowing its 
merely academic srop(\ tln^ ])resent nann^ of "Dakota Play- 
makers" A\as chosen Ity the students to express their love 
for the land of Dakota, and their continuing efforts towards 
a genuinely native drama, representative of their own life 
and peo])le. 

An effective laboratory for indoor performances has 
Ix^en established. An alcove in the attic of W'oodworth 
Hall has been converted into a workshop for making stage 
devices and for scene ]>aintiiig. An adjustable "Play-Stage" 
lias been c<mstructe<l in AVoodworth Auditorium, a stage 
with a complete set (tf scenery and an ad(M|uate lighting 
system. On this ]>lay-stage the Dakota Playmakers have pro- 
duced a Avhole series of one-act ])lays vigorous with the 
life of the native soil. 

This Play-Stage being an adjustable stage, and readily 
ada])t(Ml 1o aii\ t()\\ii hall or s lio!)l auditorium, is taken 
along by the students on their annual tour, in ])resenting in 
various towns their plays of the life of the Northwest coun- 
try. It is more than ten years ago since Prof. Koch toui-ed 
the state with a little company of Piii versify students in 
Pichard P>rii!sl('v Shcrida'i's comedv "The Pival;.." f!)llo^\■('d 



Communal Playmakixg 123 

in 1!)07 by another ott'eriiiji, a dramatization of Charles 
Dickens" Martin Chnzzlewit/' and in the following year 
bv James Sheridan Knowles' ^'Tlie Love Chase." Tlie vear 




"Caliban" (Benjamin Sherman) "Prospero (Melvin Johnson) and 
"Miranda" (Harriet Mills) in "Shakespeare, The Playmaker 

of 191(> marke<l the tirst tour of a group of players from thr* 
University of North Dakota in a series of original plays, 
which has in turn been followed by the remarkable develop- 
ment in dramatic activities, namely: "Communal Playmak 
ing,-' which under the inspirational guidance, led by the 
brilliant vision of Prof. Frederick Koch, became material 
ized. 

The I*lay-Stage is devised to cherish and cultivate the 
dramatic impulse, the most universal form of creative in- 



124 North Dakota of Today 

stinct. It is altogether the work of tlie students. So it was 
conceived hy tlie imagination of Yontli ; built by the sons 
and danghte**^ of Dakota, and dedicated by them to all the 
people. Coming up from their prairie homes with a vision 
of sunlit sod — as set down by one of them in his own brave 
verse: "from a wilderness brown and bare, from the un- 
broken fields of God,'- these children of Dakota have made 
for themselves this Play-Stage on which to shape their 
dreams in living clav. 




41^ 



Prof. Alfred G. Arvold, 

Founder and Director of "The Little Country 
Theatre" 



CHAPTER XVII. 



THE LITTLE COUNTRY THEATRE 

Some years ago, the Ignited States Department of Agri- 
culture sent out hundreds of circulars to farmers' wives ask- 
ing them what would make life on the farm more attractive. 
Hundreds of replies from practically every section, told the 
story of social stagnation. They wanted some place to go 
They wanted to be entertained. Young people leave the 
country and small villages because of its lack of joy. They 
want life. Old people desert the country because they want 
better living conditions and more social and educational ad- 
vantages for themselves and their children. Moral degen- 
eracy- in the country, as in the city, is usually due to lack 
of proper recreation. When people have something healthy 



12(1 XoKTii Dakota of Today 

to occupy their iniiids they scarcely ever think of wrong 
doing. Students of science attribute the cause of the many 
cases of insanity among conntry i)e()ple to loneliness. This 
is a national problem. That something fundamental must be 
done along social lines in the isolated sections of the country 
in order to help people find themselves, is a foregone con- 
clusion. 

With a knowledge of these basic facts in mind, Prof. 
Alfred G. Arvold, of the State Agricultural College, con 
ceived the idea of the "Little Countr}- Theatre." The the- 
atre became a reality on February 10, 1914, when a dingy old 
chapel on the second floor of the administration building at 
the North Dakota Agricultural College located at Fargo, 
was re-modeled into what is now known as "The Little 
Country Theatre." It is simply a large playhouse placed 
under a reducing glass, and is just the size of the average 
country town hall. It has a seating capacity of two hundred. 
The stage is thirty feet in width, twenty feet in depth, and 
has a proscenium opening of ten feet in height and fifteen 
feet in width. There are no boxes and no balconies. 

The decorations are plain and simple. The color scheme 
is green an<l gold, the gold predominating. Three beams 
finished in golden oak cross the mansard ceiling, the beams 
projecting down several feet on each side, and from them 
frosted light balls and globes are suspended by brass log 
chains, the indirect light giving a soft and subdued tone to 
the whole theatre. The eight large windows are hung with 
green draperies. The curtain is a tree shade velour. The 
birch-stained seats are broad and not crowded together. Ther.j 
is a ]>bice for a moving ])icture machine. The scenery is 



The Little Country Theatre 127 

simple anrl painted in plain colors. Anybody in a eonntrv 
town can make a set like it. 

The doors are wooden doors, and the windows have real 
glass in them. Simplicity is the keynote of the theatre. 
It is an example of what can he done with village halls, 




Vestal Virgins, Presented in "The Little Country Theatre" 

unused portions of schoctl liouses, and hasements of country 
('hurdles, in coiiiiiinnities. One of tlie unique features of 
The Little Country Theatre is the Cotfee Tower. It is just 
to the right of the lower end of the stage. Its function is 
purely social, after a play or i)rograni has been ])resented, 
the friends of the Thespians are cordially invited to the Cof- 
fee ToA\er and served with tea and cake. 

The object of The Little Country Theatre is to produce 
such plays and exercises as can be easily staged in a country 
school, the basement of a country church, in the sitting 
room of a farm home, in village or town hall, or any place 
where pe;)])l(^ gather for social bctteriiient. Its principal 



128 



North Dakota of Today 



fiiiictioii is to .stiiiiulate aii interest for ^ood clean drama and 
original entertainment among- the people living on farms 
and in villages, in order that they may find themselves and 
that the}' become better satisfied with their surronndings. 




The Servant in the House, Presented in "The Little Country Theatre" 

In other words, its real purpose is to use the drama, and 
all that goes with the drama, as a sociological force in getting 
people together and acquainted with each other. In a coun- 
try town nothing attracts so much attention, proves so pop- 
ular, and brings pleasure to so many, as a home talent play, 
and nothing embodies a more friendly feeling in the neigh- 
borhood. 

An illustration to demonstrate that a home talent play 
is a dynamic force in helping people to find themselves, was 
afforded in the presentation of "The Country Minstrels" 
given in the year of 1914, by the Agricultural club, an organ- 
ization of young men from the country, in The Little Country 
Theatre. The club (lecided to give a minstrel show. At the 
first rehearsal nobody possessed any talent, except one young 



The Little Country Theatre 



129 



man, lie could clog-. At the second rehearsal a tenor and man- 
dolin ]:iayer Avas discovered. At the third rehearsal good 
voices were fonnd, a quartet and a twelve-jnece band were 
organized. AVhen the play was presented twenty-eight dif 




A Russian Honeymoon, Presented in "The Litttle Country Theatre" 

ferent young men furnished a variety of acts eciualling those 
of many a ])r(»fessi()nal comjiany. 

The students of the Agricultural College have produced 
scores of plays and community programs. One group of 
young people from various sections of the State representing 
five different nationalities — Scotch, Irish, English, Norwe- 
gian and Swedish, successfully staged "Tlie Fatal Message," 
a one act comedy by John Kendrick IJangs. In order to 
depict Russian life, one of the dramatic clubs in the insti- 
tution presented "A Russian Honeymoon." Another cast 
of characters from the country gave "Cherry Tree Farm," 
an English comedy, in a most acceptable manner. "Leon- 



130 



XoRTii Dakota of Today 



arda," a jday Ity Ujoriisteru Ujonisoii, was presented by th" 
Edwin Booth Dramatic Club, and was undoubtedly one of 
the best plays staged in The Little Country Theatre. An 
orchestra played Norwegian music between the acts. 




Sam Average, Presented in "The Little Country Theatre" 

During the last three years nearly twenty young ladies, 
the majority from country districts, have presented short 
plays. Each one of thciii also acted as the dii-ector of a 
play. They have not only selcrteil the ]»ro(luction, but tliey 
have ])roiii:)t(Ml tlie ]»lay and trained the cast of ciiaracters 
as well. When I'ercy MacKaye, the well-known dramatist 
visited The Little Country Theatre, four young men pre- 
sented "Sam Average," in iiis honor. "The Ti-aveling Man": 
a miracle play, was presented in honor of Lady Gregory of 
Ireland, on the occasion of her visit to Fargo, during her last 
tour of America. Many other standard plays have also been 



The Little Country Theatre 131 

presented by these rural aiuatenrs, as Avell as a number of 
original productions. 

Several original plays have been presented to large 
crowds. Three of these — "For the Cause, "A New Liberator,'' 
and "Bridging the Chasm," made an unusually fine impres 
sion upon the audiences. They were written under the direc- 
tion of Abbie SinniKins, writei- of ]»lays and a s])lendid stu- 
dent of the drama. 

Perliaps the most interesting incidents which have oc- 
curred in connection with the work of The Little Country 
Theatre, were the presentations of "A Farm Home Scene in 
Ireland Thirty Years Ago," "The Prairie Wolf," "Back to 
the Farm/' and "A Bee in a Drone's Hive.'' All of these 
productions have come from the pen of the country people 
themselves. Standing room was at a premium. The Little 
Country Tlieatre could not hold the crowds, eighty jxn- cent 
of the people being farmers eager to see the drama of theii- 
creation. 

"A Farm Home Scene in Iceland Thirty Years Ago," 
was staged by twenty young men and women of Icelandic 
descent, whose homes are in the country districts of North 
Dakota. The tableau was very effective. The scene rep- 
resented an intei-ior sitting-room of an Icelandic home. The 
walls were wliitewashed ; in the rear of the room was a 
fireplace ; the old grandfather was seated near the fireplace, 
in an armchair, reading a story in the Icelandic language. 
About the room were several young ladies dressed in native 
costumes, busily engaged in spinning yarn and knitting, a 
favorite ])astime of an Icelan<lic home. On a chair at the 
right was a young man with a violin i)laying selections from 
an Icelandic composer. Thi-ough the window, rays of light 



132 



XoKTii Dakota of Today 



were thrown, representing' the "Midniglit 8un" and the 
"Northern Lights." Just before the curtain fell, twenty 
young people, all Icelanders, joined in singing their national 
song, which has the same tune as "America." The effect of 




Back to the Farm, Presented in "The Little Country Theatre" 

the tableau was far-reaching. The two Inindred ])eople who 
saw it will never forget it. 

The "Prairie Wolf,'' a play written by a young man 
named John Lange, Avas staged in The Little Country The- 
atre before an audience re})resenting more than thirty rural 
communities in the state. The play was not only written by a 
young farmer, but it was staged and rehearsed by country 
people. It was a tremendous success. Dozens of commun- 
ities in the State have already asked for permission to pre- 
sent it. The action throughout the play was superb. 

"Back to the Farm," written by a student of the Minne 
sota Agricultural College, was presented on three successive 
nights during the Tri-State (xrain-Cirowers Convention, which 



The Little Country Tiieatue 



133 



is liekl every year in I^'argo. Seven Inunlred and tifty per- 
sons, 90 i)er cent of them country people, witnessed this pro 
duction. The cast of characters in the play was made up 
entirely of young people from the country. One farmer said 




A Bee in a Drone's Hive. Presented in "The Little Country Theatre" 

it AVas the l)est play he had ever seen. Another said that 
"Back to the Farm," had the "Birth of a Nation" beaten 
a mile. 

In the fall of 1015, Cecil Baker, a young farmer from 
Edmunds, N. Dak., who has caught the social vision of the 
soil, came into Prof. Arvold's office with the manuscript of 
a play, entitled "A Bee in a Drone's Hive," or "A Farmer 
in the City," asking that the students of the Agricultural 
College present it, which they did. Two hundred and fifty 
people saw the production. Some said it was the greatest 
argument in favor of country life that had ever been pre 
sented. Others were astounded at the naturalness of the 



134 XOKTII J)AK<)TA OF ToDAY 

make-up aiul the costuming' of tlie cliaraoters. Eveiylxxly 
was more than satisfied. 

Preceeding" tlie plays, flie folk dances of various coun- 
tries are given. In all the plays presented the young men 
and Avomen Avho take active part are required to do their 
own ^^niake up" work and costuming. If a sitting room is 
to be arranged, the young ladies in the cast arrange it. 
The young men always set tlie scenery, attend to tlie lighl- 
ing, raise and lower the curtain, and look after the properties 

The influence of The Little Country Theatre is far- 
reaching and wide-spread. Ke(]uests for information on stag- 
ing plays and for copies of plays find their way to the Ag- 
ricultural College in rapid succession. l*rof. Arvold, the 
founder of The Little Country Theatre, has gained nation- 
wide i)rouiinence and recognition for his great idea, and has 
become a most convincing lecturer on same, of national re 
pute, having delivered lectures on "The Little Country The- 
atre" moveuKMit in Harvard, Cornell, and Columbia Cni- 
versities, aud before numerous other gatherings and ])laces 
of note. 

In Nortli 1 Dakota there are at ])res(Mii almost two thou- 
sand people i)articii)ating in home tah'ut ])lays. During just 
one year, L")!)l* ])ieces of i)lay matter have been loaned by the 
Agricultural College to indivi<luals, literary societies, civic 
clubs and organizations. AVhile The Little Country Theatre 
is locate*! in North Dakota, it nevertheless stands r<'ady to 
assist other (•(;iiiiiiuiiiti<'S in vvvyy way ])ossiI»l(^ to den'eloi* 
community life. 

Many of the students of the Agricultural College, upon 
leaving the college, have been instrumental in staging plays 
in their liome communities. One xouug man successfully 



The Little Country Theatre 



13: 



staged a play in the eiiii)ty liay loft of a barn. The stage 
was made of old barn floor ])lanks. The draw cnrtain was 
of white cloth. Ten hai-n lanterns, hnng on a i)ieee of fence 
wire, furnished the border lights. Branches of trees were 




Leonarda, Presented in "The Little Country Tlieatre" 

used for background on the stage. Planks resting on old 
boxes and saw-horses formed the seats. A vi<'trola machine 
served as orchestra. About a hundred and tifty i)e()ple were 
in attendance at the play and more than pleased with it. 
AVhicli all goes to prove how much can be (h)ne with little 
to relieve the dull monotony of country life, and make it a 
life worth while. 

If The Little Country Theatre can ins])ire ])eoi)le in the 
country districts and small communities — who are dissatis- 
fied with their surroundings, who are lonely and have little 
ambition in life — to gvt along with each other in ordei- that 



136 XoKTii Dakota of Today 

they may liiid themselves, it is ceitaiiily pert'oiiuinj; a ser- 
vice invaluable to mankind. It is not until counti-y people 
themselves can be taught to appreciate their surroundings, 
and to realize that there are tongues in trees, books, in 
running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything, 
will we liave a liealtliy civilization in America. God's gardens 
are in the country. The country people are the sinevks of 
society. In the words of Prof. Alfred G. Arvold : "The soil 
must have a soul if the vision is to grow l)igger." 



^^^^^r^ 


9BH| 


K 




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kL:.. 


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1 


d 



James W. Fulfv, I'oet Laureate of North Dakota 

CHAPTER XXllL 

NORTH DAKOTA IN I.ITERATUKK AND ART 

North Dakota in iiiniiy ways resembles New Enghind 
of Loiiofellow's and lOnicrson's day. A liinldy intellectnal 
population dominated by Puritan ideals is an ai)i)reciative 
public for literary and art asjtirants. As a result the state 
has more than its share of writers l)oth of poetry and i)rose, 
as well as a few ])ursuin<; vai-ious branches of art. Foremost 
anion"' these is .James W. I''ol(\v, a poet of the lu)me. 

JAMES WILLIAM FOLEY: POET LAUREATE OF 

NORTH DAKOTA 

James AVilliam I-'oley was born in St. Louis, Mo., in 

187:i, and came to liismarck when he was but four years of 

age, his father — who later for thirty years lived in Medora — 

was at that time stationed at Fort Lincoln in a government 



138 XoKTH Dakota of Today 

])(>siti<)ii. I'^oley reci^ved liis ednctition in the scliools at 
JJismarck and is a member of the alumni. For years he 
was connected with the Bismarck Tribune, his first occupa- 
tion, when he was but in tender years, being- tliat of a morning- 
newsboy. 

He received his journalistic education with Marshall 
Henry Jewell, the founder of The Daily Tribune, and dur- 
ing the former's five years' absence at Washington, D. C, 
Foley was editor-in-chief. He was but !(> years of age when 
he assumed the editorshij) of The Daily Tril)une, l)ut liis 
verses and his editorials made The Daily Tribune a news- 
l)aper with a national reputation, and won him fame, till 
the publications througliout the east eagerly sought his pro- 
ductions. 

During the nineteen years James Foley was in the edi- 
torial capacity of The Bismarck Tribune he continued writ- 
ing verses, and among his first books were : "Prairie Breezes'" 
and "Boys and Girls." His poem entitled "A Letter Home," 
has been copied to a greater extent tlian anything he has 
ever written. Though this i)oem ai)peare(l nearly 15 years 
ago, it has been reproduced by all of the newsi)apers of the 
state of North Dakota, and also leading eastern publica- 
tions. 

In addition to his newspaper and literary work, Foley 
has been a close student of state ])olitics, and dui-ing the year 
he was political correspondent for eastern daily newsi)apers, 
his articles were accepted as the most accurate resume of the 
North Dakota political situation that could be secured. Dur- 
ing several of the most bitterly contested state campaigns, 
Foley was in charge of the Republican head(|uarters as state 
secretary, and it was largely due to his eminent fairness, to 



IX LlTEKATUUE AND AUT 139 

Jiis cai-efiil and coiisei'vative judgment that his party met 
Avitli success at the election that followed. 

So successful was Foley in his i)olitical career, that at 
the age of 30 he was appointed private secretary to Governor 
E. Y. Sarles in 1904. When the legislative session of 1907 
convened, Foley was chosen secretary of the senate, wiiich 
position he tilled for three successive terms, and each time 
was chosen by an unanimous vote. l^)r two years he was 
also secretary of the state board of railroad commissioners, 
and it was due to his thorough work, that the aifairs of 
the commission were placed on a systematic basis. 

During the Republican campaign of 1912, Foley was 
state secretary of the Republican committee, and upon the 
death of Chairman Gray of the Republican state committee, 
the entire charge of the campaign fell upon Foley and un- 
der his direction of the affairs the party was carried to 
success at the polls. Soon after the November election he 
was chosen as private secretary to Governor Hanna, which 
he resigned on December 1, 1913, and Avith Mrs. Foley left 
for California, his present home. 

Some (tf Foley's best-known volumes of poems are: 
"Prairie Breezes," "Songs of Schooldays," "Boys and Girls 
of Mine," "Old Friends in Joyous Verses," "A Breath from 
the Plains," "Plains and Prairie," "Life and Laughter," and 
"The Way of Smiles," which is his latest i)ro(luction. 

LEWIS F. (CRAWFORD 

Lewis F. Crawford was I)orn in Wagoner, ^fo., on Feb- 
ruary 25, 1870. His boyhood was si)ent on a farm in Miss- 
ouri. After courses at the public schools, he took the degree 
of B. S., at the State Normal School, Warrensburg, Mo., and 



140 XouTii 1 )AK()TA OF Today 

latpi- iiijMliuitcd fioin tli(^ Ilai-vaid riiiversity Avith tlie A. 
B. and A. M. degrees. He was siii)eriiiteiideiit of the schools 
at Osaohi. Mo., in IS!).**,-.""), and in ISill) he came to Noi-tli Da- 
kota, locating at Dickinson, where he was superintendent 
of schools foi- a number of years. In I'.M):^ he moved to Sen- 
tinel l>ntt(\ where he became cashier of the Interstate Bank 
of Joinings ("onnty, which i)osition he still holds. 

He was i)resident of the North Dakota State P)oard of Ke- 
gents, and is a member of the American Academy of Political 
and Social Science; the American Historical Society, and the 
North Dakota Historical Society. He has been prominent 
in sha])ing the affairs of lUllings and Golden Valley Tonnties, 
and is the envied ])ossessor of what is, perhaps, the best his- 
torical library in the state. His writings on liistorical and 
economic subjects have eai-ned foi- him a wide i-ei)utation 
among luen of learning and with tlu^ reading jinblic. Among 
his most scliolarly works is; "The Loyalists in the American 
Kevolntion," "Hessian and otlier German Anxiliaries in the 
American Revolution." Among his short literary articles 
are: "An Idyl to Sentinel Butte." 'The Old Kegnlar," and 
"The American Sword." 

ALFRED GILMEIDKX AKVOLD 

Alfred Gilmeiden Arvold was born in ^Vhitewatel•, Wis., 
on January ir>, 1S.S2. He is a gra<luate of the Whitewater 
High School, and a mendter of the graduating class of 1905 
of the University of Wisconsin. As founder of "The Little 
Country Theatre," a sociological experiment station located 
on the ser(»n<l floor of the a<lminist ration building at the 
North Dakota Agricultural College, at Fargo, Prof. Arvold 
has gained nati<m-wide ])rominence; and being a strong ad- 



In LlTEHATl'UE AND AkT 141 

vocate of tliis sociological experiment, and a most versatile 
and fonvincing' speaker, he has insjiired his audiences with 
the possibilities, and the big vision of his theme. 

Prof. Arvold is director of the Drama League of Amer- 
ica, of AVashington, I). (\, and of the American Pageantry 
Association of Boston, Mass. He is a member of the Nation- 
al Board of Motion Picture Censorship of New York, the 
Kural Division National (Community Center Association of 
Chicago, 111., and also of the Advisory Board New York 
Training School for Community Center AYorkers. 

A partial list of ])laces where he has delivered lectures 
are: Chicago T^niv(M-sity, Chicago, 111.; Cornell T^niversity, 
Ithaca, N. Y., <luring Farmers' AVeek ; Columbia Cniversity, 
New York, on occasion of Shakespearian Tercentenary Cele- 
biation ; Harvard I^niversity, Cambridge, Mass., at the Dra- 
matic Seminar; Nati(mal Arts Club, New York City, at a 
banijuet; and also at the Drama League Centers, in Minne- 
apolis, Minn., Buffalo, N. Y., Boston, Mass., Pittsburg, Pa., 
and Washington, I). C. 

Prof. Ai-vold has Avritten numerous ^^'orks, among A\'hich 
are: "Community Programs," a text book; "Encyclo]»edia on 
Festivals,"' a book of references; "The Soul of the Earth," an 
agricultural ])ageant ; "The Sod House," a i)lay; "The Com- 
munity Center Movement," a magazine article; "The Social 
A^ision of the Soil," an article; "l\)rty Nights in North Da- 
kota." a i^tory. I'rof. Arvold is doing a great work for the 
U])lifting of cdnimunity life in the small town and i-nral 
districts. 

JOSEPH HENRY TAYLOR 

Joseph Taylor was born in the year of 1S45. In 1861, 
when the <Mvil ^Vnv brokt^ out, he joined the Cnion foi(*(^s and 



142 XoRTii Dakota of Today 

.sei-v(Ml until lS(i:>. Soon after leaving the army he became 
a trap})er, t'oHowinu this vocation for a iiuml)er of years. His 
experiences Axiiile trapping are told in a graphic manner in 
his book : ''Twenty Years on the Trap Line." His travels (hir- 
ing these years took him through the Dakotas, whicli at that 
time wei'e inhabited mainly by Indians, soldiers an<l tra))- 
pers. 

Plis first book was "Frontier and Indian Life," followed 
in 1891 by "Twenty Years on the Trap Line." Later he ])nb- 
lished "Kaleidosco])ic IJves." In 1!)04, he published the book 
"Beaver and Their \Vays." His many years as a trap})er had 
develoi)e(l in him a large sym])athy for all forms of wild life, 
and it was in an effoi-t to stay its extermination that he was 
led to })nblisli this latter book. His writings were inspire*! 
witli the s])irit of early frontier life, and he de])icts this wild 
life with strong homely ])atlios. and a wealth of human sympa- 
thy. 

I)K. AAKON Mc(}AFFEV HFKDF 

])r. IJeede was ])orn in IS.")!), in Sandwich, New Hamp- 
shire At the age of sixteen he came west, and located at 
liuffalo Creek, ^Hnn., where he iaught school the same year. 
In 1875 he came to North Dakota and later returned east 
to school. He attended l>ates College, the T^niversity of Chi- 
cago, and the University of Uerliu. He received his tlieolog- 
ical ti-aining at Andover Theological Seminary. In 1887 Dr. 
Heede piloted land seekers over the Red River valley. 

The last sixteen years Dr. Reede has spent as an 
10piscoj)al Missionary among the Sioux Indians at Hest:)r, 
N. Dak. He has in this work done more good for the Indians 
than any othei- jum-sou in the state. He has been instrumental 
in having the T'nited States (rovernment recognize the rights 



In Litekatuke and Aut 143 

of starving Indians, and in tliis way won their love. He has 
studied tlieir history and beliefs, and is a well-knowTi au- 
thority on Indian folk stories. Dr. lieede has written two 
dramas of Indian life: "Sitting Bull-Custer," and "Heart 
of my Lodge." The 11)11 graduating class of the Agricultural 
College gave "Sitting Bull-Custer" as their class play. 

FREDERIC^K HENRY KOCH 

Frederick Henry Koch was boi-n in Covington, Ken- 
tucky, in 1877 In 18<S2 his family removed to Illinois and he 
graduated from Peoria High School in ISiXi. He received 
his A. 1). degree fi-om Ohio Wesleyan, in 11)00. He became 
associated with the Cniversity of North Dakota in 11)05 as 
Instructor in JMiglish, in which institution he has since be- 
c<»me Professor of Dramatic Literature until his resignation 
in the spi-ing of IDLS to acce])t a ])rofessorship in the Depart- 
ment of English in the University of North Carolina. He 
received his A. M. degree from Harvard I'niversity in 11)01). 
He was visiting ])rofessor in the University of California at 
the su]nmer session of 11)10. He was exchange professor 
frcmi the LTniversity of North Dakota to the University of 
Manitoba in IDIS, delivering a series of Shakespearian lec- 
tures and a lecture on community drama. 

I'rof. Koch is the founder and directoi- of the Sock and 
Buskin Society, now "The Dakota Playmakers," at tlic Uni- 
versity of North Dakota. He is the founder of the Bankside 
Theatre on the cam])us of the l^niversity of North Dakota, 
the tirst o])en-air theatre to use the natural curve of a stream 
to divide the stage from the amphitheater. He founded and 
developed the Play-Stage at the University of North Da- 
kota Prof Jvoch is the originator of the idea of co-o])erative 



144 XouTii Dakota of Today 

authorslii}) in making coninninity drama. Fnder his direc- 
tion and leadership this plan has been carried to high suc- 
cess in two big pageants presented at the Bankside Tlieatre. 
The historical pageant : "A Tageant of the Xorth-AVest," in 
1914, and a tercentenary mas(jne : "Shakespeare, the Play- 
maker,"' in 1910. 

Prof. Koch is nationally known and ai»i»reciated foi- his 
wonderful achievements in dramatic art, and is also a writer 
of poetry, the following poems having been written by him : 
"Hail America," "Boys of Dakota,"" and "Dakota Prairies."' 

DEAN F. P.. TAYLOR 

Dean F. B. Taylor of Jamestown College, -Jamestown, 
X. Dak., is the author of "Dakota Song"" written by him in 
1914, and also of the new patriotic song "Men of America,"' 
written by him in lOlS, that has aroused the enthusiasm of 
the ]ieoi)le thi-oughout the entire state. This i)atriotic song 
has been accorded high jtraise in literary circles, for it ex- 
presses so admirably the American si)irit. The words sketcii 
the history of America, and ex])lain Avhy it is ])ossible for 
this nation to be altruistic and entirely unselfseeking in her 
war views. The music, which is of a s])lendid stirring ([ual- 
ity, and well-suited to the exalted theme, was composed l)y 
Prof. AValtei- P>oiiney of the Music Department of .lamestown 
(\)llege. 

It had been said that the World War would never be 
won until ]>eopl(^ began to write patriotic songs. Tlier*^ is 
more truth in this than would at lirst a])i)ear, for the ex- 
])ression of the nnseltish pur])ose of America in entering the 
wai- has ha<l its part in hel])ing win tlie w'iw. 



In LlTEliATUKE AND AUT 145 

AKLANl) D. WEEKS 
Ailaiid I). Weeks was born at McLean, New York. He 
is a jii-a<liiate of Cornell l^niversity. He lias written the books : 
*'Tl)e Education of To-morrow," and ''Control of Pupils," be- 
sides miscellaneous writings and a number of verses. He 
has been a professor at the Agricultural College of North 
Dakota for a number of years, teaching pedagogy and psy- 
chology. Prof. AVeeks is greatly interested in the cliild ]trob- 
lem. 

ABRIE L. SIMMONS 

Miss Abbie L. Simmons was born in Khode Island. She 
is a graduate of the Chicago Normal School and the Uni- 
versity of Chicago. She formerly taught in the Moorhead 
Normal, and has been for several years assistant professor 
of English at the Agi-icultural College. She is greatly inter- 
ested in the drama, and has written several plays, among 
which are: ''Ruth," "Apollo," and "Daphne and Ceres." 

FRANK McVEY 

Frank McVey, former Pi-esident of the T^niversity of 
North I)akota, has been very active in a literary way, and has 
gained national recognition through the excellence of his 
writings. He is also the editor of the popular "National 
Social Science Series," Miiicli at the ])resent time consists of a 
woik of sixteen volumes, and deals witli economic, ])olitical, 
and social (luestions of the day. A number of volumes are in 
])rei)arati()n for this series. This series is meeting a hitherto 
long felt want in the i-eference (le])artments of school and 
]»ublic librai'ies, for the clear, concise, up-to-date presenta- 
tion of each to])ic. 



14:0 North J)ak()ta of Today 

OTHER AUTHORS 

Dr. Wallace X. Sterns of Fargo, i.s the author of a 
number of l)Ooks on Greek life and religious thought. He is 
well known as an author throughout the Ignited States. 

Miss Elizabeth Perley, a professor in Fargo College, is 
a short story writer of national repute. Her writings fre- 
(juently appear in Eastern magazines. 

A. A. Bruce, Associate Justice Supreme Court, of North 
Dakota, is the author of ''I*roperty and Society," which book 
is included in the National Social Science Series edited by 
President McVey. 

Emanuel (xotlfried Hull, Professor (►f (rreek at the Fni- 
versity of Noi-th Dakota has written "Reveries," and other 
}»oenis. He is also a lecturer. 

Frank P). Fiske, of Old Fort Yates, N. Dak., is the author 
of "The Taming of the Sioux," an interesting narrative of 
the customs, dress, and history of the Sioux Indians of North 
Dakota. 

Lee E Mudgc. a former student of the State I^niversity, 
wrote several poems, the best of which is "The Olive Tree." 

George A'an Ainam, -ludge of the Richland County 
Court, is the author of the i>oem "The ]>uilder," and is also 
noted as the historian of the Richland County Old Settlers' 
Association. 

Nannie P^iscus, of Steele, N. Dak., wrote the song "Da- 
kota Land," which attained much popularity among the peo- 
])le of the state. 

Prof. .John M. Gillette of the University of North Da- 
kota, has written several books, one of them being "Sociol- 
ogy," which book is included in the National Social Science 
Series, edited by President McVey. 



IX LiTEKATUUE AND ArT 147 

Mande H. Moc, cf Valley (Mty, wrote "The (lein of the- 
Sheveuue Valley," in which excjiiisite little poem is revealed 
the legend of Valley (Mty. 

l*rof. G. Davis of the University of North Dakota, is th(i 
author of "Social Evolution, " which is also included in the 
National Social Science Series edited by President McVey. 

( 'arl Nelson, editor of the Cando Herald, has written 
a number of poems, that have found favor with the public. 

Floyd D. Raze, another poet, was formerly a teacher at 
Anamoose, N. Dak., but lives in Minneapolis at the present 
time. 

Susan W. Norton and Marj^aret (\ IJurns, both teachers 
at the \'a]ley City Normal School have Written several not- 
able dramas, amonj" which are: "Sakakawea, the Bird- 
AV(jman," "The Last of the Mandans,"" and "Custer's Mass- 
acre." 

• loseph Mills Hanson, formerly of North Dakota, but 
now i-esi<ling at Yankton, S. Dak., is both a poet and a writer 
of ])rose. One of his best known books is: "The Concjuest of 
the Missouri." He also writes for the l>oy Scouts. 

John Macule wi-ote the ^^■ork from which Edward r>el- 
iamy is s;iid to have deriv*^! his ideas for his book "Looking 
Backward." 

Prof. Daniel E. Williard of the State Normal School of 
Mayville, N. Dak., is the author of the book: ''The Story 
of tlie Prairies," ^Vhich is enjoying much ])oi)ulai-ity in the 
state. 

PAUL FJELDE : NORTH DAKOTA SCULPTOR 

Paul Fjelde was born in Minneaixdis, Minn., on August 
12, 1S9l'. He attended the Minneapolis i)ubli<' schools, and 



148 ^'oRTii Dakota of Today 

iu IDOl' moved with his mother and sisters to Wilton, North 
Dakota, and lived on a homestead. Shortly after, he returned 
to Minneapolis to continue his studies at the public schools, 
and also attiMided the Minnea])olis School of Fine Arts. T'}>on 
graduation he returned to North Dakota in 1909, and man- 
aged his mothei-'s farm for a i)eriod of two years, sustaining 
i-rop failures both years. In 1911 he moved to A^alley City, 
entering the Art Department of the Valley City State Normal 
School, remaining there one year. In 19li' he entered a three 
years pupilage under Lorado Taft in Thicago, which course 
he com])leted in 191."). In the following year, in 1916, he 
opened a studio in New York City. 

He has met with no little success in his career, and the 
following are a number of his ]>ub]ic commissions: "The 
McFarland and Platou relief portraits," in Valley City, N. 
Dak. ; "The Lincoln Mcmument," presented to the people of 
Norway by the people of North Dakota in 1911; "The Ivan 
Aasen Monument,'' at Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn.; 
''The John Sc(>tt liradstreet Memorial," in the Museum of 
the Art Institute, Minneapolis, Minn., "The Ajertsen Memor- 
ial," in Minneai)olis, Minn., "The J>. IJjornsen Memorial," 
Mayville, N. Dak., "The R. M. Lunn Memorial," in Auburn, 
Maine, besides numerous semi-public and i)rivate commis- 
sions. 

J. O. RINDAHL: NORTH DAKOTA LANDS(\\PK 

PAINTER 

•T. (). Kiiidahl was boin on a farm in \Visc<)iisin, but 
for many years has been a resident of (Jrafton, N. Dak. His 
boyhood days were characterized with vivid dreams of the 
beautiful pictures he would paint, the marvelous statues he 



IX LlTEKATniE AND ArT 



149 



would carve, and the inagiiiticeiit palaces he would build — 
dreaiii.s of a uormal, healthy l)()vh(»<)d. in which the soul of 
ail artist was seeking' expression. 




J. 0. Rindahl, North Dakota Landscape Painter 

Beino' one of a family of twelve, and growing np in the 
midst of pioneer conditions, dreams had to give way to stern 



150 North Dakota of Today 

realities of life. In s}>ite of obstacles lie managed to get 
some instruction in drawing from different instructors, but 
it was not enough to realize liis hopes on, so he tiually drifted 
into tlie ])liotograi)liy lousiness, in wliich he met with no little 
success. 

Tn iS!).-). l\in<hdd went abroa<l. While there he visited 
s(tme of the renowned Art (JaUeries, and saw s(mie of the 
world's greatest master])ieces in art. They brought back to 




"From the Past." A Painting by J. O. Rindahl 

him in full force the unrealized dreams of his boyhood. He 
returned to Grafton, and in the moments he could spare 
from his ])hotograpliy bnsiness, and with his talent of no 
mean oi-der, ^xM-nieated with tln^ ins])iiation lie had received 
from his stndious travels, he beg;in to slnipe his dreams on 
canvas. 

Mr. Kindahl still pursues the })hot()gra])hy business in 
Grafton, it is only his s]>are moments tliat he devotes to the 
fostering of his talent. The large photograph was taken in 
Ixindahl's studio while he was at work on an alt;ir])iere en- 
titled: "Easter Morning," for one of Grafton's chuiches. He 
has painted several large canvas |)aintings, which adorn the 



Natural Resources 151 

altars of a iniiiil)er of ('hnrclie.s in the iState ; aii<l anion"; 
the original sketches he has ])ainte(l, ai-e the subjects: "Too 
Late," ''From the Past," "Alone," "The Last Call," "The 
Witch," and "Scene near Lillehanser, Norway." 




Typical Harvest Scene in North Dakota 

CHAPTER XIX. 



:natural kesot'kces of north dakota 
diversified farming 

AA^itlioiit question tlie most iiiipoitaiit liappeiiiDgs in 
Novtli Dakota's ai;iicnltni-al liistorv, a})ai-t from tlie ])lien<)ni- 
enal increase in prodnction and at-reajie, is the marked tend- 
ency dnrinji^ the past few years to abandon the exclnsive one- 
and l\\'(>-(ro]» nKMliod of farniinii' in favor of a scientific rota- 
tion of ci-ops and the maintenance on the farms of the pi-o])<M- 
nund)er of farm animals, such as liorses. cattle, shee]). and 
hogs. 

Good farming, good methods of cultivation, intelligent 
tillage of the soil, is tlu^ slogan of North Dakota. The fact 
is demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that the yields of 
tlie various lirains can be ureath' increased and often doubbnl 



Natural Resources 153 

by the iiitelligeut cultivation^ of the soil, and not onl}' in- 
creased in amount but rendered sure. 

It is now a demonstrated fact that corn and alfalfa can 
be successfully grown in every part of North Dakota, thus 
enabling farmers to take advantage of these valuable crops 
in their rotation, and also maintain the animals that thrive 
on the hay, grain and ensilage thus procured. Tliese condi- 
ti(ms also resulted in a most remarkable increase in the dairy- 
ing industry in the past few years. 

The Agricultural College of North Dakota, and its var- 
ious sub-stations and demonstration farms, are nmking dem- 
onstrations an<l exemi)lifying to the farmers the best and 
most approved methods of farming, so as to avoid the loss 
and hardship that lack of knowledge often entails. With 
these means of studying at first hand the natural conditions 
and the methods of farming best adapted to the region, and 
with results of experiments made by skilled and scientitically 
trained men right on the ground, open to the farmer and, with 
j)ublished report of just what has been accomplished, all 
furnished free, the farmer is equipped with means of intelli- 
gently cultivating his land and developing to the best ad- 
vantage its natui-al resources. 

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY 

An industiy that is fast coming into its own in North 
Dakota is that of dairying. Already the North Dakota 
Creamery product is recognized in the eastern markets as 
a formidable rival of the best brands of the great butter- 
making cor])orations, and the North Dakota housewife knows 
only that butt<M- and cri^am, the (piality of which is of 
uniformly high grade. 



]r»4 North Dakota of Today 

111 IDIS there weie '2'M\,'.\M milch cows in tlie state, which 
at the present time is lar<iel.v increased. There are nearly 
ninety creameries in the state, and many others will be raj)- 
idly added as the si)ecial tittness of the soil and climate comes 
to be more fnlly reco<>nized. The more extended use of the 
silo and the now thorouiilily demonstrated fact that corn 
aiul alfalfa can l»e protitably planted and matured, have both 
given additional stinnihis to the dairy industry, which prom- 
ises in the near future to he one of the most important in 
the state. 

Legislative enactments are constantly being made to 
strengthen the supervising j)ower of the authorities so that 
the public can be protected the more thoroughly from un- 
sanitary methods of manufacturing and handling of milk and 
cream. These laws are being actively enforced with gratify- 
ing results. 

Nearly 10,000,000 i)ounds of butter were made in North 
Dakota families in lOlS. In the same year the farmers sold 
tlie Creameries i;^,4(»L*,000 ])ouuds of cream and milk, receiv- 
ing therefor |i'.0!)S,1l*T. At the rate in which purebred and 
highbred dairy stock is being brought into the state, and 
the large number of silos being erected annually, all point 
to the time in the near future when this industry will rival 
in volume that of many older established dairy states in the 
Union. 

LIGNITE COAL 

Agriculture has made North Dakota famous through- 
out the states. But in the future closely allied with agricul- 
ture will come coal })r()ducti()ii and the industries which will 
result therefrom. That the western and central parts of North 
Dakota are heavily uii<lerlaiii with l)e(ls of lignite coal of a 



Nat V UAL K esoi' iu'es 



155 



liigh iirade, has been a matter of comiiioii knowledge for 
many yeai-s, but any systematic deveb)pnient of these vast 
resoiirces has been a matter of only comi)aratively recent 
years. 

Governmental surveys disclose that at least 3lM)00 
square miles of this sjjlendid fuel is located in the vState, the 
available (]uantity being estiniate<l at live hundred billion 
tons. Mining of the fuel was begun at first in a small way, 
but each year now se(^s a vast inci-ease in the output, until 
the average now readies T.')!). ()(>(> tons, and is stea<lily in<-reas- 
ing. This product is used as fuel by all the state institutions 




The Satterland Mine in McLean County 
and is furnished to a large and ever-increasing number of 
domestic and industrial consumers. 

Lignite is a sort of woody coal, you can see the wood 
grain in it. it makes an extra hot tire and burns to white 
ash, like wood, without forming any greasy soot like ordinary 
coal. It falls apart pretty badly when long exposed to the 
air and when it gets hot, and gives off a heap of gas while 
it is burning. It will not be long before all lignite is briquet- 
ted before it is burned. 

The state scientists have worked out the proper process 
of briquetting the coal, and have a small plant in operation. 
Thev crush the coal, heat it and take out gas — about 1100 



ir»(; North Dakota of Today 

ciihic fVet to cvci-v ton — and some tai- an<l oIIkm- stnff. then 
the3' mix it in a binder and press in into briquettes, the size 
of a small biscuit — no donbt they got the idea from scmie- 
bo<ly\s wife's tirst biscuits — and they are a fuel that is just 
about as <»()od in every way as hard coal, and costs only about 
half as much. The <;as they j^et is A-1 foi- both lighting and 
heating, an<l is worth enough to ])ay for tlie ])ri({U(4ting 
process. 

Extensive coal areas surround Devils Lake, Turtle Moun- 
tain and Moose River Counties, as also of McLean, Mercer 
and Emmons Counties. Lignite coal is largely mined for 
shi])ment at Sims, Morton County, and at Dickinson, in Stark 
County. It is also mined for local consumi)tion at New Eng- 
land City, in Hettinger County, and at all of the towns in 
each of the counties west of the Missouri River. Settlers in 
the region west of the Missouri River, are in the habit of 
mining their own fuel. A little work with a pick and shovel 
uncovers a vein in the side of the hill. A few miles west of 
Miii(>t in ^^'ard county, coal is found outci-o])])ing along 
the sides of the Iduff. At Medora, liillings County, in the 
Bad Lands, and about Williston, in ^^'illiams County, coal 
is found in considerable ciuantity. 

Never has natural resource had a larger or more dis- 
couraging fight for recognition, and n<^ver has such recogni- 
tion finally come so si)ontaneously and so enthusiastically 
and with such unanimity as in the case of lignite. We have 
people right here in central North Dakota near the heart 
of the coal fields, who have used no other fuel for years and 
years, and who \\ ould use no other, who yet when away from 
home have found enjoyment in ])oking fun at lignite; and 
l>ecause it \\as a strange fuel to the ])eo})le in the Red River 



Xatuual Resources 



157 



valley, those who had occasion to sojourn there, made it 
a point to make it more strange by exaggerating' lignite's pet 
peculiarities. 

13nt in the year of 191 <S, it was <iuite another story. Lig- 
nite had jnst saved Xortli Dakota from a hitter winter, be- 
sides which the deprivations the east had snttered, would 
have been as nothing. It would have been almost impossible 




Mine of the Mouse River Lignite Company, Near Minot 

with conditions such as they were, to have su])])lied North 
Dakota with eastern dock coal. Western Wyoming and Mon- 
tana coals were hard to get, and i)rices exhorbitant. That 
Xorth Dakota did not suffer, and that it did not ]»iiy (h>nble 
prices for every ton of coal it used, was <lue to lignite. 

And all at once we found an awakening api)reciation for 
this coal. The North Dakota State Council of Defense met 
and adopted resolutions endorsing the use of lignite in North 
Dakota as a patriotic duty in the present war crisis, and 
memoralized Congress to further the develo])ment of lignite 
industry. The North Dakota Legislature, in a special ses- 
sion, adopted similar resolutions, which were given wide 
publicity in the state press, and were forwjirded to the re)>- 
resentative in Washington. Secietary Lane, of the Interior, 
obtained an appropriation of |100,0(tO for the exploitation of 
this great natural resource. Congressman Norton interested 



158 XuuTii Dakcjta of Today 

himself in pi-ociiriiiii a])]»r()]»iiati<>iis. X(nvs])a])ers tlir(»n<ili- 
oiit North Dakota bej^au to coiiiinciit upon lignite and advised 
its use. Tlie Twin Cities, in tlie "heatless Monday belt," 
turne<l their eyes Dakotaward, and the St. Paul and .Minne- 
apolis news})a])ers in e<litoiials and news stories nrged an 
investigation of the possibilities offered by North Dakota 
lignite tiehls as a source of fnel sn])ply for their industrial 
and domestic (-(msumers. Minnesota cities, such as Detroit 
and Moorliead, sent rein-esentatives out to Dakota's lignite 
mines to (-(nilract foi- su])i)lies; th(\v (Wperiniented with the 
coal and increased their contracts. 

I'Mnally came the greatest and best endorsement of all, 
in tlie splendid ])atriotic resolutions a<loi)ted by the greatest 
loyalty rally ever held in Noi-tli Dakota — the Council of De- 
fense War Conference — which c(mvene(l in Bismarck the 
last days of i'ebruary, IJIIS. There was urged u\nm the i)eo- 
])le of North Dakota the ])atriotic duty of burning lignite 
coal, not oidy from selfish motive that in doing so they were 
contributing to the develoi)ment and enhanced prosperity of 
our state, but with the greatest and moi-e ])atriotic motive of 
doing their v<My best to helj) their country win the war, by 
releasing for coiisiim]>tion in the eastern munition works and 
in the stokeholds of the ships which are cai-rying our soldiers 
and their su])])lies and ammunitions across the Atlantic, the 
millions itf t -ns of eastern coal which North Dakota has de- 
manded in other years. 

Vov the first time in the history of the state, a committee 
representing the manufacturers (►f North Dakota in this con- 
ference, went on record in favor of the use of lignite in all 
of the state's manufacturing enter])rises, insisting that it 
WiiK a solemn dntv these industries owcmI their country and 



Natiual Kesources 



159 



tlieir state as well. Out of all this agitation has come a sincere 
appreciation of lignite and the ever-increasing deveh)pnient 
of an indiisti-y that promises a great fntnre for North Dakota. 

CLAYS 

North Dakota is especially rich in clavs. and remarkably 
well snpplied with good brick clays. Over a considerable 
district in the eastern p;irt of the state, these clays appear 




Pottery made from Tertiary Clays near Dickinson 

in two distinct beds, that is, the upper, usually yellow clay, 
immediately under the soil, and under that, the deeper blue 
clay. In most cases in this district, brick is made fi-om yellow 
clay, though it is claimed that a judicious and thorough mix- 
ing of the blue and yellow clays, might in all i)robability 
])i'oduce a better ai-ticle. 

In the Hed Kiver valley the yellow clay immediately un- 
<ler the soil attords material for tirst-class cream brick. It is 
the clay used extensively in (irrand ]^\)rks. In the central 
])orti()u of the state there are near the surface shale de]K)sits 
of considerable thickness, which Avould doubtless. in many 
cases make excellent brick. In the western portion of the 
state is a variety of clays. In many localities the coal clays 
produce fine brick and terra cotta. 

It is said that the shales about the Park River, Milton, 



IGO XoHTii Dakota of Today 

Langdoii, etc., aloiij;' the Great Northeiu Railroad to the 
north, will ])ro(liice good brick if })ro])erly utilized. They are 
claimed to he likely to produce a tiiiu, siliceous red brick. 
At Keumare on the Soo Railway, and near Miuot and Willis- 
ton on the main line of the Great Northern Railroad, there 
are clays that will make a tine, dense brick, in color from 
light cream to red. 

Near liisniarck there are two or three layers of clay tit 
for excellent red brick. On the bank of the Missouri River, 
north of the Northern Pacific railioad bridge, near Bismarck, 
two layers ajtpc'ar well suited to this use, as Avell as to the 
production of di-ain and sewer i)ii)es. One of these clays is 
a rather sandy gray (lay ; under this is a «lark carbonaceous 
clay, somewhat jilastic and adapted for making strong dense 
drain i)ipe, i-oof tile, brick, etc. 

About Dickinson the great variety of tine clays affords 
abundant material for the tinest kind of bi-ick and terra cotta 
of ditferent kinds. The best of these clays run into tine brick 
clay and earthenware clay, and seem too valuable to be used 
for common brick. In many places in Stark, Hettinger, Mor- 
ton and Mercer Counties, there are (le])osits of good clay for 
common and even ])ressed brick. l*]xcellent i)ressed l)rick is 
made at Dickinson, Stark County, where the high grade white 
l)urning clays are used as a body mixed with clay nearer the 
surface, wiiich gives the red shades. The white clays are of 
excei)tionally tine quality, some of them being so j)ure that 
tliey are b!t even for \\hite earthenware. 

A very excellent brick, similar to the Dickinson brick 
is made at Hebron. Here also there are varieties of high 
grade clays that can be utilized for many products. The clays 
at Hebron jind IMckinson ai-e similar. A press(Ml brick plant 



Xatuual Resources 161 

is established near Wallialla, where the IJeiitoii chiys are 
utilized. This brick is of a light red color. At Wilton, and 
at Kenmare, the Laramie coal clays have been ntilized for 
tlie ])rodnction of red brick. Clays fit for ])ressed brick ap- 
pear near the north end of Davis Butte, north of Dickinson, 
and also about 10 miles south of Dickinson along Antelope 
Creek. These clays are a strong, mottled )>rick. 

>scxt to brick and refractory material in tlic iuiportance 
of clay wares is stoneware, under which is ])r<)adly classi- 
fied a large nund)er of much used articles, such as sewer pipe, 
tloor tile, ornamental wall tile, jars, jugs, etc. Stoneware is 
very like a variety of other wares, such as yelbtw >\'ear, or 
Rockingham ware on the one side, and lower grade white 
earthenware on the other. There is of course a great varia- 
tion in the character of clay used for stoneware, as well as 
the ])roduct. Some of the higher grade stoneware clays, espe- 
cially the lighter colors, are capable of considerable artistic 
effect. The chea])er grades of stoneware fre<iuently burn to 
a red or brown tint. 

Most of the clays referi-ed to in this article as tit for 
stoneware, burn to a creauiy tint, and aiv ailmirably adapted 
not only to sewer pipe, but to the highest grade of stoneware 
products. Nearly all the stoneware ])roducts are made by 
some ]»lastic process, the auger machine or the ])lunger mold 
macliine for sewer pii)e, or turning and moulding in some 
form is commonly employed, therefore the element in plas- 
ticity is of much importance. The clay must also bake to a 
hard, strong body. Clays suitable for the manufacture of 
stonewai-e. must not only be free from sand but also from 
pebbles, concretions, fragments of limestone, etc. In judging 
the titness of a clay for stoneware, both chemical and physical 



162 XoKTii Dakota of Today 

examination should l)e cairfully iieeded, especially the for- 
mer. In comparing the analysis of stoneware clays from 
other localities with those of the same class in Nortli Dalvota, 
it has been ])roved that the Xortli Dakota clays are of a 
splendid (jnality. 

Most stoneware i)rodncts are tired but once, and the 
glaze is either a})i)lied before the tiring is Itegun. or during 
the latter part of the bnrning, so that the fluxing material 
unites with the clay at a high temperature near the end of 
the I'urning l'^»r the low (M- grade of wares, both salt and sli]> 
glazing is em])loyed. A great deal of stoncnvai-e is salt- 
glazed on the inside, as it is difticult for tln^ salt vajxn- to 
reach easily the inside surface when the kiln is stacked. In 
salt glazing the ware is bui-ned and tlie heat of the kiln is in- 
creased to maximum and then a definite amount of salt is 
introduced regularly into the kilns. Along with this there 
is coniiiionly introduced green or wet W(M)d which gives the 
i-e(iuisite amount of steam to carry the fumes of sodium 
chloride in such a form that they can i)enetrate and allow the 
sodium to unite with the silica and alumina on the surface (►f 
th(^ wai-e. ^^'llen this has tak(Mi ])lace. the kiln is allowed to 
gradually cool. 

Ware which is slij) glazed is coated with a li(|uid of a 
fusible (day mixture, usually considerable iron and alkalies. 
This slip dries evenly over tiie body of the ware, which is then 
fired to the fluxing point of the slip and the day, when the 
temperature is gradually reduced, i'oi- ornamental tile and 
for many kinds of stoneware dishes, a heavy glaze is desired. 
With the higher gra<le of light coloi-ed stoneware clays found 
in North Dakota, this variety of ware is secuicd by using a 
form of lead "laze. 



Xatuiial Kesources 163 

111 >s'()ith Dakota there are several (lei)()sits of excellent 
stoneware clays. These are usually found in the tertiary 
forniation in the sonth^yestern jjart of the state. They are fre- 
<jueiitly associated Ayith the liigher grade earthenware clays. 
In Stark County there are some such deposits of stoneware 
clay. At Dickinson this clay lies beneath the white earthen- 
ware deposits. 

Earthenware clays vary from those aj)])roaching nearly 
to china clays to those so im])ure as to be fit foi- white ware 
and are called stoneware clays. ( Mays fit for the manufacture 
of the higli grade china, or to be used in ])art for making por- 
celain are among the rarest clays used. For such purposes 
the utmost ])urity is reijuired. Altliough clays sufticiently 
pure for white earthenware are comparatively rare, Nortli 
Dakota is particularly fortunate in having several beds of 
clay of this kind of a remarkable character. 

Hy making analysis of the North Dakota clays at the 
School of Mines, located at the State [^niversity in North 
Dakota, and in a large numlter of eastern large potteries, 
it has l)eeii ]troyen that these chiys are admirably adapted 
for tlie manufacture of earthenware and similar grades of 
pottery. AVith such valuable deposits of clay, there is a 
great future for the pottery industry in North Dakota. The 
demand for sub-Avares is continually increasing and there is 
little doubt that sooner or later these deposits will be suc- 
cessfully (hneloped. The clay industry in its various ])hases 
has gi-owii to enormous pro])ortioiis. 

The value of clay products of this country alone, now 
aggregate one hundred and twenty-five millions of dollars 
or more annually. The North Dakota clay deposits ai-c lo- 
cated at considerable distances from any large ])ottery cen- 



164 XoKTii Dakota of Today 

ters, aiul as llic jjopnlatioii of the state iiici-eases tliese de- 
posits of tine clays will he l»r(»ni;iit into closer j)r()ximity to 
a large and snpi)oitin<; territory. The ]»resence of coal near 
tliese day beds will Ite of great help in their niannfactnre. 

Although the results of the investigation are most en- 
couraging, it is not to Ite (\\]i(M-t(Ml that a grt^nt industry like 
this, demanding the expenditure of large sums of money 
will be (piickly develojyed. It is reasonable to piojdiesy how- 
ever, that in time the clays of Nortii Dakota will be develojte^l 
and their ]n-oducts extensively used. 







I V\:.i^:.'Jrf**BaBia^SiF{U- 




Typical Exposure of Pierre Shale. In North Loam Township 
SlIALI^S 

The l>entoii shales while jtrobably underlying much of 
the central part of the state, outcroj) only in the INMubina 
Mountain region, although they have been r(^ported in the 
valley of the Sheyenne Kiver, near Lisbon. In the Pend>ina 
region they are (^xjxtsed in the dee}) valleys of the Tongue, 
Little Pembina, and IVmbina rivers. About 150 feet of a 
green and blue clay shale exposed on the I'end>ina is class- 
ified as IJenton. One of the best outci-ojis is at Mayo, five 
and one half miles west of ^^'alhalla. in the deep valley of the 



Natural Resources 165 

Pembina river. The shales are liere used by the Mayo Brick 
& Tile Company. The shale is of a gray color when dried, 
and almoi^t black when freshly exposed, and contains manj^ 
dark carbonaceons particles. The clay is very line grained, 
being soft and fissile, and becomes plastic on the addition of 
water. Some of the beds have a strong odor of petroleum. 

The Niobrara formation overlies the Benton and is not 
sharply differentiated from it, and outcrops most extensively 
in the Pembina Mountain region, and forms a considerable 
part of the strata exposed by the Tongue, Little Pembina and 
Pembina rivers. It does not, however, contain any shale val- 
uable as a clay. This is due to the high line content, varying 
from twenty to seventy-five per cent of calcium carbonate. 
This makes certain beds of it valuable for the manufac- 
ture of natural cement, but destroys all its usefulness as clay. 
The main i)art of the Niobrara, known as "cement rock," is 
rather hard and massive, breaking out in large pieces. It is 
of a grey color with white specks of lime, and is a moderately 
hard, calcerous shale. Tlie u])perm()st i)art of the Niobrara 
is chalky in appearance, in fact extensive de])osits of chalk 
have been found. 

The Pierre shale has its best outcrops along the Pend)ina, 
Little Pembina and Tongue rivers, where they have worked 
back in the escar])ment bordering the Red River Valley. Out- 
crops are also found on the Pai-k, Forest, and Turtle rivers. 
The Sheyenne and James rivers have also eroded into the 
Pierre shales. Along the Sheyenne they outcrop at points 
below A^alley (Mty, and along the dames River near James- 
town, and a few miles north. The Pierre not only under- 
lies the central part of the state, but it exposed in many 
places, and is thus available for use. The Pierre is of a 



166 NoKTJi Dakota of Today 

(lark iii-a\ . blue or black sliale. It is fissile and weathers 
easily into tliiii plates. The shale is tine *>raine(l but contains 
a little of very fine sand. It also contains many small iron 
concretions, which cause the clay to become a brownish coloi- 
when weatliei-ed. Abont 'MH) feet of Pierre shales are exposed 
in tlie Pembina region. 

To tlie Fort I^nion formation where the famous Bad 
Lauds have been eroded, belong the high grade tire and pot- 
tery clays of the western part of the state. These very pure 
and white tire clays cover an area of a]tproximately 4000 
square miles, lying bet^^'een the Missouri and the Little ]Mis- 
souri rivers. They occur at elevations of frcmi 2450 to 2600 
feet above sea level, and are confined to the tops of the higher 
ridges and divides. Their maximum tliickness is about 150 
feet. These fire clays are remarkably uniform over the entire 
district, and their white color makes them conspicuous wher- 
ever they are exposed. 




Dr. Edwin F. Ladd, the Genius in Pure Food Work 
OHAPTEK XX. 



SOCIAL LEGISLATION OF XORTII DAKOTA 

THE in KE FOOD LAW 

One of the most remarkable steps in the prooressiveness 
of social le<>islation in Nortli Dakota is the "IMire Food Law/' 
Tlie aim of the pnre food work in its different i)hases, is mere- 
ly that the consumer has the rioht to know what he }>nYS. 
The simi)le way to do this is to let the label j^ive the make-up 
of the goods. As Dr. Ladd put it : "The pure food law does 
not i)rohibit the selling of ground olive stones or cocoanut 
shells as such, but it does forbid selling them for ])epper or 
other food products. 



168 NoKTii Dakota of Today 

When 1)1'. Ladd began the pure food work, he fonnd that 
most of the canned focxls were adnlterated, niisliranded, and 
often doped witli injnrions ingredients, and sold to the con- 
suming pnblic as of higli (|uality. -lams, for instance, were 
often ma<le of rotten ai)ples and the then dangerous glucose 
sweetened with saccharine, colored with coal tar dye, and 
preserved with benzoate of soda to prevent further decay. 
Many other foods weie a<lulterated and preserved in a sim- 
ilar manner. 

This condition is now improved, but it did not come with- 
out a struggle. Every law that was passed had to be fought 
through the courts. If the food manufacturer lost in the 
lower courts, they api)ealed to the higher courts. This gives 
some idea of how ])rotitable it niust be for manufacturers 
to adultei-ate food. The adulteration and ])reservation of 
food by chemicals not only was against the best interests 
of the public, but it made it almost impossible for an honest 
manufacturer to do an lionest business. 

Another mode of dece])tion was to make containers short 
weight ; for instance, what was supposed to be a four ounce 
box of spice usually contained but 31/. ounces. Now the 
container must show on label its net weight. The law goes 
even a stej) further in reganl to lar<l, in reciuiriug that it 
shall be sold iu even ])ound containers. The packers, rather 
than comply with this law will not sell lard in even poun<l 
pails in North Dakota, though they ])ut up even jtound i»ails 
for some eastern jobbers. 

The drug enforcement work, under the drug law makes it 
necessary that drugs sluill be u]) to the standard ; if not, they 
are regarded as adulterated. False labeling is prohibitetd. 
It cannot be au iuiitation of an article, nor bear a statement 



Social Lecjislatiox 169 

(H' design which shall deceive. If the drug contains any of the 
following, the label must give it, and also the amount: al- 
cohol, morphine, opium, heroin, alpha or beta sucaine, chlor- 
oform, cannabis, indica, clilorjd hydrate, bromide, iodine, ace- 
tanilid or crot(»n oil, or any derivative oi- preparation of any 
such substances. Cocaine cannot be sold, nor can wood alco- 
hol be used. 

It was a common practice, for instance, to sell formalde- 
hyde that was one-half to two-thirds strength, and when a 
pound was called for, it was apt to be short weight. The 
result was that when a farmer would treat his seed grain 
for smut, or the potatoes for scab, according to the formula 
worked out by l^rof. Bolley, the disease germs were not killed, 
as it would not be strong enough. The department had to 
enforce a law re(]uiring a standard strength. As soon as 
this was done, the farmers secured the desired results. This 
resulted in a rapid increase in the use of formaldehyde. When 
it was being adulterated the sale was decreased. 

Paint is another i)roduct that can readily be adulterated. 
The North Dakota Experiment Station Bulletin No. 67, gave 
the analysis of a number of paints that were sold in the state. 
Many of these paints contained but little real paint material. 
The purchaser had no way of knowing whether the paint was 
real or not. S(mie of the paints were worse than no ])aint 
as far as j)rotecting the wood was concerned, and oftentimes 
the stuff left such a surface that it was almost impossible to 
repaint before it was removed. 

A law was passed that requires the label to state what 
the paint contains. The enforcement of this law was also 
placed in the Experiment Station, of which President AVorst 
was then director. He a])pointed Dr. Ladd pure paint com- 



170 North Dakota of Today 

missioner. This law was fought bv paint men; first in the 
United States district court, and when they failed there, in 
the United States supreme court, and again President Worst 
and Dr. Ladd won out for the state. The paint men, though 
beaten, were so impressed with Dr. Ladd's knowledge of 
paint and what paint should do, that they raised a fund and 
turned it over to him to use in making paint investigations. 
The investigation was started. A good many pieces of dif- 
ferent woods and with different exposures were put on the 
campus. They were painted with different kinds of paints 
and paint mixtures, and careful observations made and photo- 
graphs taken to show how these paints protected the wood, 
how durable they were, and other facts important in paint. 

The beverages sold in North Dakota were extensively 
adulterated. The beverage law was passed, and its enforce- 
ment left to Dr. Ladd. The provisions are that the containers 
must be properly labeled, and adulteration prohibited. 

When the bleaching of flour was started. Dr. Ladd ruled, 
that the word ''bleached" must be ])ut on the sack in as large 
letters as other information given on the label. The bleach- 
ing agent is poison, and the pure food law expressly forbids 
the introduction of anything deleterious into foods. By 
bleaching, it was possible to make as white flour from the 
cliea])ei- wlu^ats as fi-om Noi-lh Dakota wheat. In this way 
'.(leaching \\as robbing North Dakota wheat of some of its 
vahic^ The investigations of (lie lianiifnl eff(M'ts (tf bh^aching, 
by the North Dakota Food Commissioner, went a long way 
toward the ruling against bleaching by the Federal govern- 
ment. This has meant a good deal to North Dakota as it 
has made it necessary for the wheat flours from different 
states to sell for what tliev are. This makes the North 



Social Legislation 171 

Dakota wheat necessary for mixing with the less desirable 
wheats in order to imi)rove the quality and the color. 

The sanitary inspection law in regard to places where 
food is produced, manufactured, or handled, is strictly en- 
forced by the food commissioner. In many of the groceries, 
restaurants, and confectionaries, and in their advertisements, 
a prominent place is given to the score given them as a re- 
sult of the visit of the inspector. It has been a great factor 
in causing a cleaning up of the places where food is handled. 
The mere fact that attention is called to the factors that 
make for healthfulness has done much. 

The work done in the mill, while not strictly pure food 
work, yet has been done l)y Dr. Ladd. The results brought 
out have been almost startling in that it has been shown that 
a surprisingly large amount of flour has been made from 
lightweight wheat, and that in most cases it is a very good 
flour Dr Lacbl is nationally known, and is doing a wonder- 
ful work, and the state of North Dakota is justly proud of 
him and his work. 

The Legislature of 1915 enacted a number of measures 
that marked an advance in social legislation, and show the 
progressiveness of North Dakota : 

A MOTHERS' PENSION bill was enacted. It covers 
any needy woman having dependent children under fourteen. 
The maximum to be paid is |15 a month per child. The 
administration of the law is in charge of the County Court, 
which was given discretionary powers. 

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT. was abolished, ^\^th the wise 
exception of a capital crime committed by a convict already 
serving a life term for murder. The parole law was amended, 



172 North Dakota of Today 

but certain hard-and-fast restrictions were ado])ted that un- 
fortunately limit the jtowers of the ])arole hoard. The hnv 
relatin<i to i>ay of convicts anjis revised, to allow inmates of 
the penitentiary from ten to twenty-five cents a day for their 
labor. One-half to three-foniths of this amount may go to 
distant relatives, while a small portion is set aside for a 
j»risoii(M-s' benetit fund, which is s]>ent for ^^ilolesome aiiinse- 
ments. 

THE .Tl^VENILE ('OrKT was strenofhened by author- 
izini:- its head, the district ju<lj>e, to appoint a juvenile <-(mi- 
missioner to investijiate cases, issue temporary orders, and 
icport to his supei-ior. A law that has ])rove(l valuable is 
the one designed to prevent cliildren from playing about the 
railroad tracks wliere there is <langer fnmi moving cars. 
The law gives the lailroad authority to arrest such juvenile 
trespassers. 

THE NURSING PROFESSION, hitherto unregulated 
by law, was given some attention. A bill was ])assed provid- 
ing for a l)oard of examiners, but the registration was left 
oi»tional, except that unregistered nurses are forbidden to 
advertise themselves as registered. AVhile such a law is un- 
satisfactory, it at least furnishes a beginning, and will doubt- 
less be strengthened later. A similar board of chiropractic 
examiners was also established. 

MEDICAL INSPECTION in the public schools, which 
by a former act had been made optional with school boards, 
was strengthened to some extent by the provision that such 
inspection becomes comjiulsory upon the petition of a major- 
ity of the patrons of the school. For the imi)rovement of 
RI'RAL EDUCATION a county tax was authorized in ad- 
dition to the usual taxes and state aid to rural graded and 



Social Leuislatiox 173 

consolidated schools. The levying of such a tax, the measure 
provides, must be authorized bv a referendum to the voters. 

Of the greatest importance to the progress of education 
in North Dakota was the creation of a BOARD OF RE- 
GENTS to have charge of all the higher institutions of learn- 
ing. As anticipated, this innovation has resulted in a better 
(•(►-ordination and direction of the educational forces. The 
law was ])assed in res])onse to a state-wide demand, and 
(xovernor llanna, acting under the authority of the law, ap- 
j)ointed the folU>\ving mend>ers, with terms of expiration as 
follows: Lewis V. Crawford, Sentinel l>utte, 1921; Frank 
White, Valley i'lty, 11)19; Dr. J. D. Taylor, 1919; Emil Scow, 
Bowman, 1917, and .1. A. I'ower, Leonard, 1917. 

The board was organized on July (S, 1915, succeeding the 
State Normal Board which had control of the Valley City, 
Mayville, and Minot Normals, and the individual boards of 
other institutions. The institutions under the direction of the 
Boai-d of Regents were: State Fniversity, at Orand Forks; 
Agricultural College, at Fargo; State Normal School, at 
Valh\v (Mty ; State Normal School at Mayville; State Normal 
School at Minot; vState Normal School at Dickinson; State 
Normal-Industrial School at Ellendale; State School of Sci- 
ence, at A\'ah])eton ; State School of Forestry, at l>ottine;ni ; 
and Stat." rid)lic Library ('(immissi )n at I>ismjir(k. 

With tli(^ creation of the Hoard of Regents and the fix- 
ing (if responsibilities, there iiiiiiiediat(dy arose an inspiration 
for a gieater educational system, one that could be ])ro])erly 
correled and co-ordinated, making each institution stand for 
something distinctive and individual, making it ])0ssible for 
boys and giils to secuie that kind of an education that ap- 
peale'l to them most sti-ongly. or what would most nearly 



174 North Dakota or Today 

meet their dcsiies. AVitli tliis view in mind, the board in 
November, 11)1.~), named a snivey commission, of wliicli Dr. 
P. P. Claxtou, Ignited States Commissioner of Education, 
was tlie leadin«i' member and directed the work in hand. Tlie 
Survey Commission <levoted from November 1, \\)\~) to .Inly 
1. 191(>, to the stndy of tlie conditions in this state, and sub- 
mitted to the board its findings. 

It also gave the opi)ortunity for the members to liave 
state-wide, ratlier than a social viewpoint of all administra- 
tive and financial matter pertaining to the institutions. This 
is a phase in Avhicli every taxpayei- of the state has a vital 
interest. The State Board of Regents was thus able to famil- 
iarize itself with the intimate and exact needs of all institu- 
tions, and to stndy the ])roblems of each in comparison with 
the requirements of all, to the l)enetit of the taxpayers and 
with increased service to the state. 

The members of the board being keenly and ])ersonal- 
ly interested in educational matters, devoted a great deal 
of time to a close study of the situation in the state. The 
chief ambition of the members was to unify the educational 
system of North Dakota, and to correlate tlie work of the 
different institntions in such a nianner, that each occu])y 
a distinctive held. A further object was to prevent as far as 
possible all unnecessary duplication and to develop a system 
being l>()th elficieiit and economical. 

The task that confronted the State Board of Regents, 
has been a rather difticult one because there was no uniform- 
ity in the methods formerly in vitgne at the different educa- 
tional institutions. Each was conducted by an indi vidua 1 
board which sought as large an a])j)ro])riation as possible for 
its particular institution. The work ov(M-la])])ed to a consid- 



Social Legislation ITo 

ei-able degree. Tlie board has eliminated (^iiite a little of 
this duplication and had gone far into the establishment of 
a systematized plan of educational work in North Dakot.h 

In a general war, the T^niversity has l>een made the seat 
of learning for the professional degrees and its department 
of education was strengthened for the preparation of teachers 
for liigli school work and for institutions of the lower grade. 

The Agricultural College is being l)uilt up as far as 
possible along practical industrial and vocational lines. Great 
stress being laid on the actual agricultural instructicm at 
that institution. The home economics and the agricultural, 
industrial, and vocational engineering courses were greatly 
strengthened. The de])artnient of education was developed 
to a point where teacliers of agriculture, manual training, 
and home economics, can be prepared for the rural, consol- 
idated, high, and special schools of North Dakota. The 
other lines of instruction at the Agricultural College are 
being fully maintained in every respect that can support this 
policy. Pritfessional degrees as such are not particularly 
encouraged at the Agricultural College, but degrees in voca- 
tional and industrial courses are greatly em])hasized. 

The Agricultural College has been re-organized along 
the broadest ])ossil)le lines, with seven sub-divisions. The 
regulatory work which Avas formerly conducted chietly by 
State Pure Food Commissioner Ladd, and others, has been 
lined up along one general line, with Dr. Ladd, who is also 
])resident of the institution, as the head. The re-organiza- 
tion policy has resulted in the creation of the following six 
schools: School of Agriculture, School of Veterinary ]VIedi- 
cine, vSchool of Home l^conomics. School of lCducati(»n, School 



17(» North Dakctj-a of Today 

of Cli enlist rv and I'harniacv, Scliool of Agricultni-al En- 
gineering and Mechanical Arts. 

Tlie State Hoard of Kegents, re(inested tlie Normals at 
^'all(M■ City, Mavville, Minot and Dickinson, as well as tlie 
Nornial-Indiisti-ial at Ellendal(\ to (hnote as nmcli energy as 
possible to the develojtnient of rural scliool teachers. Tlie de- 
mand in the state for properly prej>ared rural school teachers 
is so imperative, that at ])resent the Normals can gradnate 
about a snfticient number to replace those who abandon the 
work each year. IJecanse of this lack of teachers there w as 
a sti-ong demand foi- the iww Normal at Dickinson, >\hicli was 
overwhelmingly endorsed by tlie voters in ltd 7. The Normals 
are contincMl very closely to legitimate work, fads and fanciers 
being not encouraged by the board. 

The Stale School of Science at W'ahpeton has been con- 
verted into a practical in<liistrial tra<les school, somewhat 
along the lines of the Dniiwoody Institute in Minneapolis, 
and following in a broad way the industrial school de\('loii- 
ment in ^^'isc;)nsin. 

The S.tjite Scluxd of Forestry at IJottinean, is not being 

])articnlarly boosted as snch, as there seeins to be com|>ar- 
atively little use for a purely technical school of forestry in 
a prairie state, but that feature of the work is not being 
neglected, and in a<ldition the institution devotes a gi-eat 
deal of its energy toward the instrnction of l)()vs in manual 
training and along industrial lines, and girls in home eco- 
nomics work. 

In addition to these nine institutions, the board suc- 
ceeded to the duties of th<' Public Library ('ommission locat- 
c(l at the ('ajtitol. The work of this depaitment is largely 



80CIAL Legislation 177 

sendinji out farm and school libraries, and general extension 
work. 

In a practical business way, the board adopted a nni- 
forni system of reports (►f each institution to the board 
monthly. All bills from each institution beinj> sent to the 
board's oftice for checking and approval before l)eing paid. 
8ui)plies of all chai-acter as far as feasible, being' pur- 
chased on bids submitted to the board. This included all 
dormitory supplies, coal, janitor supplies, linens, furniture, 
stationery, and goods of all classes which are purchased 
in sufticient volume to make it profitable to handle them 
in this manner. 

At the time of the completion of the w(»rk of the Survey 
Commission, the board elected Dr. Edwin B. Craighead as 
(Commissioner of Education in this state. He represented the 
board in an educational ^^'ay, conferring with the heads of 
institutions and joined in the recommendations made for 
changes in courses of study and changes in faculties, and 
also made special and general recommendations regarding 
the pi-oper field of each instituticm, to the board, from time 
to time. By a recent act of the Legislature of 11)11), a State 
Administration Board has been api)ointe(l to succeed to and 
carry on the work of the Board of Begents, and also to suc- 
ceed to the duties of the Board of Control, which governed 
the ]*enal and Charitable institutions of the State. Charles 
Leissman has been ai)pointed Secretary of the new Board. 

North Dakota has one of the best provisions in law for 
the employment of a (M)UNTRY SCHOOL NURSE, of any 
.state in the Union. This law was passed at the last session of 
the Legislature in 1017, and provides for the employment of 
a school nurse or physician by the County Commissioners, 



ITS North Dakota of Today 

iil)()ii hi'iiij; petitioned to do .so by two-thirds of the .school 
officers in the county. 

"A sound mind and a sound body,"" summarizes in a 
phrase the complete goal of an educational .system. Only in 
the past few years has the latter consideration come to be 
recognized as the necessary foundation for the development 
of a sound mind. Investigations proved that the majority 
of children who repeated their grades were obliged to do .so 
on account of some ph^'.sical defect. Thus an ofttimes 
disability, unrecognized by parent or teacher, resulted in tlie 
child losing years at school; and the district expended thous- 
ands of dollars in ]»utting children through the same grades 
repeatedly. 

The school nurse in many cities throughout the Ignited 
States has helped to make these schools and children at- 
tain a higher degree of efficiency. The school nurse in the 
country where she is employed, has brought about the same 
results. In the physical examination of a large number of 
school cliildren in the United States, about sr> per cent are 
found to have some defect. Among the commonest of these 
are decayed teeth, defective eyes and ears, enlarged tonsils 
and glands, and adnoids — defects difficult to detect, and not 
serious in the beginning, but wdiich if neglected, in many 
cases prove disastrous. Diseases of a more serious nature, 
heai-t disease, bone decay, etc., are often found by the school 
nurse, and often children suffering from tuberculosis, and 
endangering the health of the entire school, have been found. 

The wonderful work of the school nurse and physician 
in discovering these conditions, and the consequent attention 
devoted to tliem by parents, Imve done much toward render- 
ing the children more healthy and tit to receive instruction, 



Social Lkiuslatiox 111) 

and toward reiideriiij' the school more efticieiit. The value 
of medical inspection is already reco<;nized throu<>hont the 
entire country, and Legislatures of many states have passed 
laws to enable counties to emjtloy school nurses and jdiysi- 
cians. 

As mentioned, Xorth Dakota has such a law on her stat- 
utes. A large nundter of the counties already have such a 
nurse at work; (iran<l (•"'orks, La^loure and ^>o^^"man counties 
liave the distinction (if Ix'ing the first to ac(|uire one. Many 
other counties have tlie necessary ])etition ready for action 
of the County Ccmmissioners, and before another year is 
])assed judiiing from ])resent indications, ])racticall3' every 
county in tlie state will have its county nurse, safeguarding 
the health of the school children, and rendering truly effec- 
tive the school system of that county. 

FEDERAL AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING IN PUB- 
LIC SCHOOLS is another measure that emphasizes the pro- 
gressiveness of Nortli Dakota. The federal board for voca- 
tional training has a])])ioved North Dakota's ])lan for ac- 
cepting tlie provision of the Smith-Hughes act. This means 
that North Dakota received in the year of IDIS, |ir),i>()r).99 
for vocational training in ])ublic schools without having to 
ex])end any extra money from its own ai)])ro])riation. 

Tliis sum of money was ex])ended as follows: For 
salaries of teachers and supervisors of agriculture, |;5,20r).l)l) ; 
for salaries of teachers of grade and industrial and home 
economics, |5000 ; for salaries of teachers for vocational 
works, foOOO. The annual appropriation increases until 
1925, when it amounts to |51,235.94. 

The s])ecial lines of vocational Avork are being given in 
l»ublic schools. The State Agricultural College has been 



ISO XouTii Dakota of Today 

designated as the institution which shall train teachers f<»i* 
this work. Tlie Governor has designated the State Board 
of Education as the executive body for the administration 
of this work in the state, and tlie State Treasurer as the cus- 
todian of these funds. Schools that wish to rcrcivc an.v of 
the funds, must meet certain recjuirements. 

One of the most imjtortant measures passed by the 
J.egislature of 1!)11), is the HAIL INSTHANdO lULL. Tn- 
der the ])rovision of this act there is levied a flat ta.\ of three 
cents on all tillable lands of the state fi-om which tliei-e is 
no escaj)e The assessment feature of the bill, however, is 
made voluntary through a ])rovision enabling farmers who do 
not wisli the protection of this act, to witlulraw by filing 
notice with the (bounty Auditor before the beginning of the 
crop season. 

Fifty cents ]ter acre is the maximum assessment ])er- 
missable under this act. This assessment is made by the 
board of e(iualization aftei- all losses are adjuste<l, and is to 
be spread over all lands })rotected by the act and to be col- 
lected as other taxes are collected. Interest-bearing wairants 
covering the losses are mailed farmers as soon as losses are 
adjusted 

THE 15ANK OF NOKTII DAKOTA created by the 
Legislature of 1*11!). gives North Dakota the uui(|ue distinc- 
tion of being the first State in the Union to have an institu- 
tion of this kind. The bank with a |2,()()(i,()()0 IkuuI issue for 
capital is located at Bismarck, and is under the control of 
an Industrial (Nunmission of three members: Governor 
Lynn J. Frazier, Attorney General William Laiigci-. an<l 



Social Legislation 181 

Coiiiinissioiier of Agiiciiltiiie .John X. Haj^au. Manager 
J. R. Waters and Director General F. W. Catliro are execn- 
tive officers of the bank. 

The ])olicies of the bank are as follows : No branch 
banks will be established, the aim of the Bank of North 
Dakota being to be helpful and to assist banks already estab- 
lished ; it will not single out one bank in each county to be- 
come repository for any public funds; funds will not be 
withdrawn from localities where they are now on deposit, 
onh as an over-accumulation may occur in one ])lace and a 
shortage in another; it will make national banks as well as 
state banks repositories for public funds. Commercial ac- 
counts will not be accepted nor individual deposits from with- 
in the state, but such de])osits from without the state will be 
encouraged. 

The purposes of the bank are: to piomote agriculture, 
commerce, an<l industiy; stabilize interest rates; mobilize 
assets of the state into one central bank, co-operating with 
all other banks in the state ; to provide a state clearing house, 
perforin functions of a joint stock land bank ; base credit 
upon financial responsibility and integrity, irrespective of 
party affiliations. 



CHArTEK XXI 



EDUCATIONAL EACILITIES OF NORTH DAKOTA 

North Dakota is committed to progress in education. It 
believes in efficiency, in thoroughness and in board outlook 
that marks the education of the future. If it is true that 
education is the key to the future of any state, then North 
Dakota gives promise of great acliievement. The facts of 
education in the state are of no little interest, and worthy 
of consideration. 

According to tlie last ])rinted re])ort from the office of 
the State Superintendent, for the school year ending -June 
30, 1916, there were 5,309 schools in the state, with an en- 
rollment of 151,647 pupils, and an average attendance of 
llM.'M.K) In these schools were employed during the year 
S,()93 teachers. Tlie average salary per month for all tciM-li- 
ers was |59.84, and the whole anumnt paid out for the year 
for teachers' salaries was |3,695,229.59. The grand total of 
warrants issued for the support of these public schools 
during the year, including the amount at the beginning of the 
year was |10,050.26. The state tuition income, Avhich is 
practically all derived from the federal land grants, was 
11,105,124.25 for the year. This represents an increase of 
over 100 per cent for the last ten-year period. 

At the (dose of the school year there were 133 state 
high schools, with an enrollment of 8,724 students. In addi- 
tion 1o (liis number tliere were 2,010 doing hiuh school work 



Educational Facilities 18H 

in the graded consolidated schools. There are now 4:47 con- 
solidated schools in the state. At the present time North 
Dakota stands second in the number of consolidated schools, 
and ill proportion to its population it heads the list. No other 
state in the Union can show a like growth during the same 
period, and it speaks volumes for the enterprise and good 
judgment of the people of the state. 

According to the Russell Sage Foundation, that recently 
ranked the public schools of all the states on ten points of 
efficiency, North Dakota ranked as number eighteen. When 
it is remembered that in this ranking, it was ahead of the 
states of Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, though standing 
thirty-seventh in population, it is an enviable record for a 
state so young, and it promises much for the future. 

Ill addition to the educational resources in the field of 
public schools, there are those as represented by our higher 
institutions of learning. These institutions are nine in num- 
ber. The higher institutions, like the public schools, have 
also an income which is derived from federal land grant. 
For the year of 1918, this income was |375,212.12. Thus 
North Dakota is amply })rovided for the education of her 
youth. 

There are now 711 state schools in the state, that is, 
schools standardized and receiving state aid. Of this number 
112 are on the high school list and the remainder are in the 
rural divisions, as represented by the two-room, graded, and 
consolidated schools. In 1916 the total number of state 
schools was 572. This gives an increase of 1(59, the largest 
in the history of the state. 



1S4 ^'oijTii Dakota oi- Today 

The total amount apport.ioued for state high sdiool.s 
was |85,0()(). It was found necessary to pro-rate these funds. 
Tlic several amounts apportiontMl for the first, second an<l 
third classes, respectively, were 1733.00, |485.00 and |275.00. 
Tlie sum apportioned to each of the live state agricultural 
liigh schools was .f 2,500, these schools getting the full amount 
as re(|uire(l by law. 



CllAJ'TEK XXll 



COXSOLI DATED SdlOOLS 

Education is ediuatiiij* Dakotaus to the speed limit. In 
lUll there were oiilj 114 consolidated schools in the state. 
The year of 191S has seen this number increased to 447, has 
seen teacheraj^es spring up wheieever there was no appro- 
priate boarding phiie, has seen Sl.">(> farm boys and girls tak- 
ing a high school course increase to 4421, has seen standard- 
ized rural scliools oi-ganizcd in every county in tlie state, and 
increase in number from zero to ()00, has seen county nurses 
appointed under tlie best school health laws in the state, 
has seen music and hot lunches thrill and till the boys and 
girls from the farm, and trained tc^achers placed in every 
county of tlie state. 

.Vrdently engageil in this cam]»aign for rural school bet- 
tei-ment are the [Superintendent of Public Instruction, 53 
County Superintendents, the Agricultural College, and the 
State Normal Schools. The total sum apportioned for rural 
schools in IDIS was .*|f!>LM4.~).S.~). Vov the one-room rural 
schools, where the tax rate was l!.~> uiills and over, the sev- 
eral amounts aj)])orti(;iie!l for the first, sefond, and third 
classes, respectively, were |150, |120 and |90. For schools 
wliere the tax rate Avas 15 mills and less than 25, it was 
two-thii'ds of these amounts, and where under 15 mills, it 
was one-third. 

For graded schools where the tax rate was 25 mills or 
ovei-, the several amounts a])])ortione(l for the first, second 
aiHl third classes, respectively, were f^OO, |225 and |150. For 



180 XouTii Dakota of Today 

those ^^•llel•e the tax was lo mills and imdei- 25, the aid ap- 
lK)rtio]ied was two-tliirds of tliose amoniits, aud for those 
schools liaviiiji- a tax rate of less than lo mills it was one- 
third. 

For consolidated graded schools, where the tax was 25 
mills and over, the several amounts apportioned for the 
first, second, and third classes, respectively, were f552.27, 
1483.24 and |414.21. I^or those schools having a tax rate of 
15 mills and under 25, the aid apportioned was two-thirds 
of these amounts, and where the tax rate Was under 15 mills 
it was one-third. 

There are now 447 consolidated schools in this state. This 
is a large increase of the last two years. There were 62 
schools formerly listed as consolidated that were dropped 
on account of a law passed by the last legislature. This law 
provided that a cons(didated school is one having at least 18 
contiguous sections, regardless of the manner of its forma- 
tion. These schools were eliminated because they lacked a 
section or two of having the eightetMi. Thongli it Itrought 
fifty into the list, it still left a decrease of 12. There is how- 
ever a net increase over last year of 58 consolidated schools. 

In these 447 consolidated schools there are enrolled 35,- 
()0() farm children, of AVhich number 3,125 are doing high 
school Avork. Had it not been for consolidated schools, not 
more than ten ])er cent of those children would have been 
provided with these better school facilities. Of the total num- 
ber of consolidated schools, 252 are on the state list — that is, 
standardized and receiving state aid. Of this number 77 
are on the high school list, the remainder being on the graded 
list. In the matter of standardization, on a ])ercentage l)asis. 



Consolidated Schools 187 

the consolidated sdiools rank far ahead of tlie graded and 
one-room rural schools. 

Consolidation is the uniting of one-room schools to form 
a school having at least two or more teachers, and serving at 
least eighteen contiguous sections. The greatest objection to 
consolidated schools bv some farming communities, is the 
transportation of children to and from the school. As far as 
the cost is concerned, it can be made very high or very low. 
When the i)rivate or family system is used, it costs |16.28 
per pupil i)er year, while if the public or bus system is used, 
it will average 135. 7(1 per pupil per year. In several of the 
schools the private system is tlie one used because it gives 
the greatest satisfacti(»n. In s:tnie, the combination of the 
two systems is usesl witli much success, while some prefer 
the public or bus systeuL Over a thousand children have been 
interviewed by the Superintendent of I'ublic Instruction 
upon this matter, and there is yet to be the first case where 
any child would rather go to the rural school than to the con- 
solidated, even though he had to walk less than half a mile 
to the little country school, while he may be compelled to 
ride six or even seven miles to the consolidated school. 

The cheapest school when everything is considered, is 
the consolidated school. For the consolidated school costs 
32 cents per day per i)ui)il attended, and for rural 35 cents. 
In the majority of cases the consolidated school ])rovides high 
school privileges Avhich the rural school cannot do. A con- 
solidated school employing three teachers and a well-<iuali- 
fied ])rinci])al, where the private system of transportation 
is used, can be o])erated for al)out four mills more, or .f3.20 
more in taxes per quarter, than it would take to operate the 
four one-room schools running separately. And when two 



ISS NouTii l)AK(»TA or Today 

teacli(M-s are eiuploveil it can be operated for less. If tlie 
public transportation is used, these tigures will be abont 
three times as high ; bnt it must be remembered that a liigher 
grade of school-work in the grades, and high school privileges 
are provided f(>r in this scliool. and wiiich the one-room ruial 
school cannot furnish. 

If the farmer sends his boy to tlie city school, it will 
cost him abont ^l^A) more than if he keei)s him at home. This 
is for many a prohibitive tax, and besides that, the boy is not 
at home where he shonld be in these ])erilons years of adol- 
escent boyhoixl. l>ut A\itli the consolidated school in the lo- 
cality, these better graded school and high school privileges 
can be furnished for abont one-fifteentli of the cost to the in- 
dividual parent, and one-third cost to the community, and 
the boy is at home. Tlien besides, the non-resident land own- 
er, the cor])oration, and the taxi)ayer withont family, con- 
tribute their share toward tlie development and perpetuity 
of the state. This is only just and fair, for the child is edu- 
catted ])rimarily for the state. 




PRESIDENT WILSON GIVES US A "HAND" 



Hellst?om of the North Dakota defense conned: 

F O. Hellstrom, 
State Council of Defense. 

^'^"T^co^g^atul^ate North Dakota «P0" tl-^^Patnotic sp.it ^t^^^^ 

war conference. From personal contact ?,"l°"S ^^ar ;°^^ reflected in like en- 
comes an understanding and '"^pira on hat w'^ -°° j^^J^^^ ^^^ it is only by 
thusiasm and un.ty of P^n>o-e among their mio ^^.^ ^^p,^ U ^^.„, 

united and determined efforts o^/j' " „^'.^,„^" the nations of the world. 
its great f^ght for fair and honest dealing among tne vVOODROVV WILSON. 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

XOKTH DAKOTA'S CxREAT WAR TOXFEREXCE 
One of the most conspicuous events in the annals of pres- 
ent day history, was the North Dakota AVar Conference held 
in the Bismarck Auditorium on Monday and Tuesday Feb- 
ruarv 25th and 26th, 1918, under the auspices of the North 
Dakota Defense Council. It was positively the l>iggest pat- 



11)0 Xoirrn Dakota of Today 

riotic deinoiistiatioii in the Northwest. Its result was a gi- 
gantic sweeping success, which established North Dakota 
in the annals of history as aggressively patriotic. The large 
aiiditorinni was ])acked witli a loyalty audience one whole 
hour l)(4'ore the stilted hour of ojteniug, aiul ."">()() peiijth' had 
to wait for the overt! )W meeting in anothei- theatr«\ Tlie 
evening session of the tirst day was attended by four 
thousand ])(^o]>le. 

''North Dakota is loyal, aggressively patriotic, essen- 
tially American. Its pledge of fealty to this Great Kepublic 
is 8000 of the State's best and bravest boys in the serv^ice of 
T^ncle Sam. North Dakota is back of President Wilson for 
a tight to the tinish of autocracy," declared Lieut. Governor 
A. T. Kraabel, in welcoming the National Council of Defense 
speakers to North Dakota. 

Among the distinguished statesmen, diplomats, and au- 
tliors. whom Tnch^ vSam sent to liismarrk for >s<)i-th Dakota's 
Gi-eat War Conference, were: Dr. dose]))! ^loran, of Purdue 
T'niversity, special representative of the National Council of 
Defense; Charles Edward Russell, great American author 
and lecturer, who was a nuMuber of the V. S. Commission to 
Russia; Dr. doseph Drew, foi- nine years ]»rivate secretary 
to .\mbassador Geiard at Perliii; Dr. Ileni-y ( 'oc CuUxM-tson, 
rei)resenting the Cnited States I'ood Administration, and 
others. No better speakers had ever been heard in North 
Dakota than those mentioned above. 

At the (dosing session, the North Dakota War Countdl 
adopted resolutions ])ledging lovidty of the State in tlu^ Re- 
]»ul)li(''s need, calling upon every citizen to unite in the ])ro- 
duction of a l»um])er crop, in the development of the State's 
natural resources, and in the fullest possible co-operation 



North J)ak<)ta"s (iREAT War CoxFERExrE 191 

with the admiuisti-atioii, that its aims mi<>lit be carried to a 
speedy and successful conclusion. 

Out of the Xorth Dakota AVar Conference, si)run^ forth 
the "On to Victory" Campaign, headed by the untiring secre- 
tary of the Nortli Dakota Defense Council, P. O. Hellstrom. 
Then began the drive in which 250,000 loyalty buttons — 
bearing tlie American flag as a background for the seal of 
North Dakota, with the inscription "On to Victory'' — were 
distributed among the male citizens of tlie state. Loyalty 
pledge cards bearing tlie oath of allegiance, with this affir- 
mation underneath : "I pledge my life and all I possess in 
defense of the flag," with a space for the signature, were 
sent or brought to every male resident in Nortli Dakota. 
This big patriotic demonstration resulted in a crowning suc- 
cess. In response to President Wilson's felicitations, sent to 
the North Dakota people two days before the opening of the 
War Conference, Secretary F. O. Hellstrom wired the fol- 
lowing message to the President : 

''On behalf of the people of the State of North Dakota, 
I beg you to accept this message of appreciation for the words 
of encouragement conveyed in your message of the 23rd. AVe 
have just concluded an enthusiastic two days' AA^ar Confer- 
ence at Bismarck. North Dakota pledges all her man power 
and resources in support of this war. Our slogan from this 
dav is ''On to A^ictorv." 




\orth Dakota State Capitol 

(IIAPTKK XXIV. 



IXSTITITIOXS OF XOKTII DAKOTA 
THE STATE CAPITOL 

111 1SS:{ (lie Lcoislatiii-e for the Territory of Dakota 
])asse<l an act providiiiii foi- the removal of the territorial 
<'ai)itol fiMiiii Yankton to a point (lesii>iiate(l by the commis- 
sioners appointed for the location of tlu^ new ('a])itol. >?uch 
committee met in I'ai-iio (»n the iM day of .hme, lS8.*i, and lo- 
cat(Ml the territ(nial capitol at IJismarck. The act ]»roA'ided 
that a site of 1(50 aci-es and .*;f 100,000 be donate<l as a condi- 
tion of snch location. In ccMiipliance with this ]trovisioii the 
citizens of IJismarck donated ;if 100,000 and 'A'2() acres of land. 

The site chosen foi- the erection of the ca])itol building 
is a comiiiandinii one, situated on the uround i-isinu to the 



IXSTITITIONS OF XoUTII DAKOTA 



193 



north, in the iiortheiu part of the city of Hismarck, and per- 
mits an extensive view of the sni'roiiH(lin<; country. Con- 
strnction was coiiinienced in ISSH and was jtractically com- 
pleted the following- year. In ISS!) when the State of Nortli 
Dakota was admitted to the Union, IJismarck was again 
designated as the seat of state government hy constitutional 
provision. 

The stat(^ capit(d is bnilt of three kinds of brick, having 
been bnilt in tliree ])arts; first the center, built in ISSH, then 
the front with ])ortico in ISJ);',, and bistly the large aildition 
at the rear in I'.IOl*. At the time the last wing was bnilt 
it was intended to bnild aronnd the entire capitol similar 
wings. 




Museum of State Historical Society 



So far, the building contains few i)aintings of note. In 
the State Historical Society are hung three Indian paintings 
by Miss Heiser of Minnea])olis, which were })urchascd by 
the State Federation of Woman's Clubs witli the balance left 



11)4 



XoKTii Dakota of Toi>ay 



from the .fir)()() approin-iatioii made by tlie State to erect the 
]»('il('stal for tlic Sakakawea statue, aaIiIcIi stands on tlic Caj)- 
itol grounds. Two of these paintings are known as ''Tlie 
Mink Woman." and the "Bad Brave." In the (rovernor's 
oftice liang j)ortraits of all the Governors of tlie State, uy 
various artists, and in the lohby may he seen ]»ortraits of 
many of the former Judges of the Supreme Court. One 
woman is lionored by having her portrait liung there, Mrs. 
Preston Anderson, of -lamestown, who lias been eonspicuous 
in the prohibition movement. The only statue stands at the 
head of the stairs (;n the sei-ond floor, jind is a replica of 
Paul Fjelde's bust of Linccdn which was made l)y him for 
])resentation to Norway by the state of North Dakota. 




.^ 



Roosevtlt Cabin. Xuw on State Capitol (Jrounds 

Witliin the Cajtitol are now located the (►fticial head- 
quarters of the Governor, Secretary of State, State Auditor, 
State Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction, At- 
torney-General, Commissioner of Insurance, Commissioner 
of Agriculture and Labor, Bank Examiner, Land Commis- 
sioner, Public Library Commission, Adjutant-General, and 



IXSTITrTlOXS OF XoRTII DAKOTA 195 

State Engineer. Tlie State Historical Society also maintains 
a museum in the l)asement of the building, which contains 
many rare and valuable relics of bygone days, both of an 
anti(|uarian and historical nature. Adjacent to the state 
library are situated the chambers of the five Supreme Court 
Judges, M ho are now jteriiianently locate<l at Bismarck. 

Tlie Capitol is situated in spacious grounds, well planted 
with trees, hedges, shrubbery and lawns, which form fitting 
surroundings to the imposing structure. In these grounds 
is i)laced the original log cal)in formerly occu])ied by ex-Pres- 
ident Roosevelt during his ranching days in Dakota. 
A short trolley line furnishes ready means of communication 
with the down-town district and a complete power plant 
su})plies liglit and heat to the Capitol building and electricity 
for tlie (►])eration of the line. 




Mrs. Minnie' Clarke Biidlong. Director Public Library Commission 

NORTH DAKOTA rrJJLlC LIHRAHV (U)MMI8SIOX 

One of the iin])<»i-taiit institutions in tlie state is the 
North Dakota Pnltlic Libi-ai-y Connnission. wliicli is housed 
in tlie Htate Capitol huildini;'. I'ndci- tiie cfticicnt admin- 
istration of Mrs. Minnie (Mark Ilndlonii, its secretary and 
director, it has beiMinie a niedinni of no small si^niticance in 
meetino; tlie educational ihmmIs of districts w liei-e no near li- 
brary exists, as well as of ^reat value to the club women of 
the state, who liave found in its referciK <' de])artm(Mit a pro- 
verbial "treasure trove,"" when confi-onted with the j)roblems 
of writinji a ]>aper on some im]toitaiit topic, an<l of ecjual 
value to men in all walks of lif(\ as well as to schools and 
teachers. 



Institutions of North Dakota 197 

With ]ier tlioroiigh knowledge of picuieer coiulitioiis. lier 
large acquaintance among the cluh women and educators of 
the state, and her charming personality, Mrs. Budlong has 
])roved a big force in developing the various branches of that 
institution, and of creating a literary stimulous in the more 
isolated districts thr<High tlie circulating library, as also her 
valuable and ready assistance in helping new libraries get 
started. 

The Public Library Commission was established by Act 
of Legislature in 1907 to meet the need of books in a state 
not yet well supplied with libraries. Four departments of 
work were outlined; educational reference, traveling librar- 
ies, legislative reference, and field work. An office was es- 
tablished at the (''a])itol in 190S and an organization mude 
to take care of these four departments of work. The growth 
of the work has been ])henominal and is only limited by the 
size of the staff an<l the amount of a]>propriation. 

Traveling libraries had ])reviously been sent from the 
department of Public Instruction, thru county superinten<l- 
ents, to schools. The scope of the traveling library was 
enlarged to include farmers' ]il)raries, school libraries, and 
community libraries. In the ten years since organization 
about twelve hundred stations have been established in the 
state, these libraries being sent free whenever a grouj) of 
six signers will agree to be res])onsible for the care of the 
books, their safe return, and payment of freight. As the 
number of libraries never exceeded three hundred fifty, each 
of which on a six month's loan may be sent to two stations 
in a year, the demand has far exceeded the supply. There 
is always a long list of applicants. 



IDS XouTH Dakota of Today 

The inauguration of i)ar('el post made a rapid develop- 
ment in educational reference work. This is now providing 
one of the most poj^ular de])artments of the Library Commis- 
sion work. In one biennium tlie number of applications re- 
ceived and tlie amount of material sent was quadrupled. This 
material consists largely of pamphlets and mounted clip- 
pings, which are sent to individuals, to study clubs, and to 
teachers and schools. It supplies up-to-date material for 
individual study, for tliemes, ])a]ieis, and debates. The only 
cost is postage both ways. 

The legislative reference department lias for its tirst 
aim the furnishing of material to legislators and state offi- 
cials in the S])ecial lines their work calls for. This department 
consists largely of pamphlets and clippings, which during 
the twenty-two months between sessions, are loaned through- 
out the state thi-ough the educational reference department. 
They ai-e of ])articular value to Civic Leagues, study clubs 
and High School classes which are studying the subjects of 
government and sociology. 

I'ield work includes advice and assistance to existing 
libraries, aid to communities wishing to establish libraries 
either ])ublic or school libraries, and all (juestions affecting 
the growtii and betterment of library interests. Compar- 
atively little has been done in this departnienl, as the secre- 
tary could give it only the time that could be spared from the 
insistent demands of the office. The Legislature recognized 
the need of this work by ap])ropriating a salary for a trained 
organizer l)eginning July 1, 11118. 

The Library Commission has always been non-sectarian 
and non-partisan. It aims to send material of the best kind 
on both sides of any <|uestion. It is educational, not political, 



Institutions of North Dakota 11)9 

aud has been recognized as sucli bv all state administratious, 
in the retention of the personnel of its staff in spite of 
changes in party control of the state administration. The 
importance of the work was emi)hasized by the United States 
Commissioner Claxton at the time an edncational snrvey 
was made of North Dakota. A wide field of work was out- 
lined for the Library Commission in connection with his 
plan for rural schools and communities. It should l)e the 
{people's Fniversity, an aid to those who must obtain or con- 
tinue their education outside of schools, and should be the 
feeder for the higher educational institutions of the state. 

As first organized the \york was under the control of an 
independent library commission, but when the state educa- 
tional system was re-organized, the value of this work as an 
integral part of the whole system was recognized, by ])lac- 
ing the Library Commission with eight other educational in- 
stitutions under the charirc of a State Board of Reaents. 




THE rXIVf:RSITV OF NORTH DAKOTA 



The University of Xortli Dakota was established at the 
city of ( I rand Forks l)y an act of the territorial le<>islatnre 
passed February !'.'>, ISS;;. The doors were first opened for 
students in September, 1884. The first enrollment was 71) 
students, and year by year, a steady an<l satisfactory increase 
had been nuiintained, th<' nund»er reachini; !M)(i for the schol- 
astic year I'.IOS-H. Dnrinu the same period the faculty had 
inei-eased fi-om 4 to (»(). and tlu^ stanchird of erudition had 
advanced from that of a liiiiii sciiool to that of a first-class 
university 

On the admission of North Dakota into the Fnion of 
states in 1889, the I^niversity was adopted formally as the 
State University and was <iiv<'n a land j^rant of 120,080 acres 
of })ublic land. At the i)resent time over half of this grant 
has been sold, the minimum ])rice of |10 per acre having been 
established by law. This has been invested and ])rodnces a 
revenue of over 153,000. A state tax of one-third of a mill 
adds to this sum of about $03,000. Rental of doi-mitories, 



Institutions of Noktji Dakota 201 

matriciiliitioii fees, ete., produces about |18,000. Tims the 
total income of the University approximates |164,000. In 
addition to this, the state Legislature makes special appro- 
priations for all needed additional maintenance and special 
purposes, which at the last session amounted to $190,000. 

Thus far there have been organized seven colleges or de- 
partments, as follows : College of Liberal Arts, which in- 
cludes languages, literature, philosophy and science; Teach- 
ers' College; College of Law; College of Mining Engineering; 
College of Medicine, and Model High School. Each of these 
colleges is under the direction of a dean. The Model High 
School, connected with Teachers' College, is under the direc- 
tion of a principal. 

The government of the University, which was formerly 
vested in a board of trustees, five in number, who were ap- 
pointed by the Governor, with the consent of the Senate, 
and who held the office for a term of five years each, was 
succeeded by the State Board of Regents, and is now under 
control (jf the State of Administration. 

The University comprises 100 acres, situated one mile 
west of the city limits of Grand Forks, on the transcontin- 
ental line of the Great Northern Railway. University is a 
flag station of tlie railway, and is named for the institution. 
Eleven buildings have been so far erected on the grounds, as 
follows : Main Building, erected in 1883-4 ; Science Hall, 
1901 ; Mechanical Engineering Building, 1902 ; Davis Hall, a 
woman's dormitory, 1887; Budge Hall, the young men's 
dormitory, 1899; Macnie Hall, a woman's dormitory, 1893; 
Mining Engineering Building (School of Mines), 1907; Gym- 
nasium and Assembly Hall, 1907 ; Library, the gift of Andrew 



202 North Dakota of Today 

Carnegie, 1908 ; Power House, 1899 ; President's House, 1903 ; 
Teachers' College Building, a Commons Building, and a 
new power house were erected in 1909. 

The faculty of the University consists of the president, 
and 84 ju-ofessors, instructors and lecturers, mainly in the 
colleges of medicine and law. The total enrollment of stu- 
dents for year 1917-8 was 1231. The aims of the institution 
are being realized in full measure under the present man- 
agement, and Avhat these aims are cannot be set forth more 
truly and emphatically than by (juoting the following extracts 
which prefaces the issues of the University Bulletins : 

OUK CREED 

"We believe that the young manhood and womanhood 
of our Nation is its best and greatest asset; we believe in 
preparation as the prime factor in success; we believe in 
Tvork and in play, and pre-eminently in helpful service; we 
believe in scholarship, not for its own sake, but for the sake 
of a better all-round life ; we believe that nothing is too good 
for North Dakota boys and girls; we believe that the best 
place to obtain a general, a technical, or a professional edu- 
cation is the University of North Dakota. 




NORTH DAKOTA AGKICILTUKAL (M)LLEGK 

The North Dakota Agiicultiiral College was founded in 
1889 by constitutional provision and located at Fargo. It 
was organized for work October 15, ISHO, with a president, 
4 members of faculty and 30 students, and the work was 
carried on in rooms rented from the Fargo College. Construc- 
tion of the tirst building, the Administration Building, was 
commenced, and that year saw its completion on section 36, 
township 110, range 10, immediately adjoining the city of 
Fargo. 

From these humble beginnings the institution has grown 
in size until the regular faculty now numbers 16 with 20 
special instructors who are employed during the winter 
sessions. From 30 students the attendance has increased to 
1200, exclusive of the attendance at summer school and the 
enrollment in the correspondence courses. 

There are now nine buildings devoted exclusively to 
instructional work, namely: The Administration Building; 
the Carnegie Laboratory; the Chemical Laboratories; the 



204 XoKTH Dakota of Today 

Engineering Building ; Science Hall ; Francis Hall ; the shops 
and the armory. Additional buildings more or less intimately 
connected with the work in construction are : the power 
house, the four barns, the seed barn, the root cellar and three 
greenhouses. 

Nine distinct college courses are offered, viz : Agricul- 
ture, biology, chemistry, civil engineering, domestic science, 
general science, mechanical engineering, pharmacy, and 
teachers An agricultural and manual training high school is 
maintained, and it offers secondary training in agriculture, 
commerce, domestic science, general science, engineering, 
manual ti-aining, and for teachers. Special courses are of- 
fered as follows : Three-year domestic science, three-year 
farm husbandry, three-year i)harmacy, three-year power ma- 
chinery, and the winter schedules A and B. 

The institution received a land grant of 130,000 acres, 
which, when all sold, should yield an endowment considerably 
in the excess of |2,000,000. The institution is accomplishing a 
useful and valuable work throughout the State, and improve- 
ment in agricultural methods is becoming more and more 
apparent as the graduates of the college engage in practical 
husbandry at the conclusion of their studies. Through them 
is being disseminated a more general practice of diversified 
farming, the scientitic rotation of crops and introduction 
within the state boundaries of new and l)etter varieties of 
cereals and tame grasses. 

Connected with the college are numerous experimental 
stations, placed at sucli advantageous ])oiuts tliroughout the 
State as to cover, to the best possible advantage, climatic and 
soil variations. At these, agriculture is ])racticed according 
to the latest improved scientific methods, and the results. 



IxsTriTTioxs OF North Dakota 205 

cai-efiilly tabulated, <>iveii to the public in bnlletius, issued 
as informatiou is available and the correct scientific con- 
clusions are worked out. 

The chemical laboratories of the college have earned 
themselves a national reputation, not only along the lines of 
purely agricultural chemistry, but also in the important field 
of food analysis. In this state the chemical department of 
the college is charged with enforcement of the pure food laws 
and, largely through the vigilance and aggressive policy 
adopted, the State possesses the most perfect laws on this 
subject of any state in the T^nion, and the lead taken in this 
branch of legislative ])i-ote('tion of the consumer is being fol- 
lowed by many others. The legislation of 1909 added greatly 
to the responsibilities of this department, the Legislature 
having passed drastic laws with the object of preventing im- 
portation into the State of impure and adulterated, fer- 
mented and distilled licpiors. 

An encouraging condition in connection with the college, 
is the rapidly increasing interest among all classes of citizens 
in the work which it is undertaking along all lines of agri- 
cultural research and development. This is shown by the 
croAvded condition of all the courses and the continuous de- 
mand for enlarged facilities for study and accommodation. 

The college is already one of the most })rominent insti- 
tutions of its kind in the country, and the phenominal 
groAvth of the State in ]»opulation, and consecpient increased 
area of land under cultivation, accompanied as it is by an 
insistent demand for the very latest discoveries in agricul- 
ture investigation, will, most assuredly give it an even more 
commanding position. The recent achievement of the ''Lit- 
tle Country Theatre," has brought a new era in the social 
life of the institution, and widened its scope of work. 




VALLEY (^rrV STATE XOKALVL SCHOOL 



\'all('y (Mty is justly |»i-(»U(l of her Nonnal School, i'rom 
the first year of statehood, throiii:;h the iiistriinieiitality of 
this institution and the sister establishment at Mayville, a 
high standard of pedagogic learning has been estaldished 
in the state, to the great benefit of our rising generation and 
to the credit of the state generally. Hundreds of teachers 
have i)assed through her portals out into active instructive 
Avork in the country an<l city sclunds of onr commonwealth, 
and reflected l)y their t<'ai-hing of those entrusted to their 
care the high ideals and scholastic attaiuments iiuparted to 
them during tlndr normal car<'er. 

The State Normal School at N'alley City was located l)y 
the Constitutional Convention of North Dakota, and ou 
March 8, 1S!I(). an act Avas ajtproved providing for its govern- 
ment The school was opeued October l.">. 1S!)0, in a rooui 
loaned for the ]»urpose, in the public schools, the fun<ls for 
its maintenance being ]»rovi(led by subscriittnui. On ^[arch 2, 
1892, an act was approved })roviding for its temporary main- 



IXSTITITIOXS OF XOKTII DAKOTA 1*07 

teiiance. and on 31aicli 7, anotlier act was provided for the 
erection of l)nildiniis, and a permanent board was then ap- 
l)ointed. The second session began September 28, 1801, in a 
bnilding rented for tlie ]»nrpose. 

The first bnilding was dedicated j3ecember 6, 1892 ; the 
West Hall, Jnne 8, 1901 ; the Model School, January 10,1906; 
and the Auditorium, May 17, 1008. In the meantime a large 
residence had been juircliased for dormitory purposes and a 
large brick building erected. On .June 7, 1894, the first 
class was graduated. Every year since tliat date a class has 
been graduated, showing a satisf actor}' annual increase in 
nund>ers; from ."> in tlie beginning, the number in 1909 had 
increased t(» 14r>, with 1(».~) graduates and an enrollment of 
1343 in 1917-18. 

The faculty has grown witli the increasing needs of the 
institution, and there are today employed 3G instructors, with 
an enrollment of 1400. The work is carried on in seven large 
buildings. This school is beautifully located soutli of the 
Sheyenne Kiver in a wooded part of the valley, within the 
city limits, ccimprising nearly GO acres, and is only four or 
five blocks from the center of the city. 

This institution is maintained by the ])roceeds of the 
sale of a 50,000 acre grant, of which over half has been sold 
at a minimum ])rice of |10 per acre; the moneys realized from 
the sale iwv |t<M nianently invested, the income only being 
available. The amount already realized is a substantial one, 
and Avhen the remaining portion of the grant is sold at the 
a<lvanced ])rices wliich are now obtaining, the endowment 
from this source will be a rich one. Liberal appropriations 
are also forthcoming from the State whenever the need there- 
for is apparent. 




MAYVILLE STATE >s'UKMAL SCHOOL 



The State Normal Scliool at Mayville, like its sister in- 
stitution at Valley City, is accomplishing an invaluable work 
in equippini>' teachers for their imi)()rtant work in our coun- 
try and city schools. Through its medium hundreds of com- 
petent instructors have been given to the school sei'\ace of 
the State and its ai)i)reciation by the public generally is in- 
dicated in the rapidly increasing annual enrollment, and the 
extensive and solidly permanent imi)rovements and additions 
which are being made to the buildings and teaching cor])s. 

The school was established by the constitutional conven- 
tion held immediately prior to the admission of the State into 
the Union. It was then made a part of the public school sys- 
tem and was endowed with a land grant of :^0.000 acres. This 
land cannot l)e sold at less than |10 ])er acre, and the money 
accruing constitutes a permanent endowment fund for the 
institution. The majority of it has already been sold and 
the balance will be disposed of as deemed best for tlie ad- 
vantage of tlie establishment. Liberal ai)propriations ai-e 



IXSTITUTIOXS OF XORTH DAKOTA 209 

also foitlicomiiig, whenever needed, from the 8tate Leji,isla- 
ture. Tlie total investment of this school, including build 
ings and equipment, represents the value of over |200,000. 

The school opened its doors for students in 1890. The 
rooms first occupied were in the city hall and i)ul)lic school 
building. In 1898 it was moved into the building provided 
bv the State, which was the east half of the present Main 
Building, the addition being completed in 1905. A new dorm- 
itory was erected in 1909, and the whole heated by a modern 
vacuum sj'stem of heating. 

The total enrollment of students for the year 1908-9 was 
386, and at the close of the school term the school graduated 
95 students. Tlie faculty of 1917-8 consisted of 27 members, 
with a student enrollment of 280, and GO graduates. 

In addition to the academic year of nine months, the 
school, co-operating with near-by counties, conducts a sum- 
mer school of six weeks. This practically fills in the entire 
year and oft'ers an opportunity to teachers who are employed 
during tlie other months to further perfect themselves in 
their profession. 




MINOT STATE NUKAIAL SCHOOL 



Another school that was established in 1913 to meet the 
ever-increasini'' educational needs of North ])akota, is the 
State Normal School of Minot. This school is beautifully 
situated. The <'am])us of sixty-six acres is located at the 
north edge of the Mouse River valley. The outlook from the 
Normal ]>rovides a view of the entire city, the hills and the 
valley and the winding Mouse Kiver with its border of na- 
tural timber. 

This school has no land grant endowment, but has an 
appropriation of I3V2 hundredths of one mill, receiving the 
sum of if^lKXnnO for the period of 11)1 7-S. The Normal School 
occupies four buildings, all new, modern and well-equipped. 
The Main building is the center of instruction and student 
activities. It provides class room and laboratory facilities, 
gvmnasium. librarv, student association's rooms, and offices, 



Institutions of North Dakota 211 

all equipped for their several purposes. The Dormitory is 
a splendid home for one hundred persons, and many more 
boarders and lunch patrons. It is a long- fireproof structure 
so situated that every room gets direct sunshine every day, 
and all have a view of the beautiful valley with its bordering 
hills and its meandering river marked ^vitll groves of trees. 
The total enrollment of students for the year 1911-5 was 
UOl', with IT graduates. The faculty of 1917-8 consisted of 18 
members, with an enrollment of 181 students. The gradu- 
ating class of the same year was 53. 




DICKINSON STATE NORMAL SCUIOOL 

( )ctober 1918, witnessed the opening of the State Normal 
Scliool at Di(kinson. Tlie Normal occupies the entire third 
floor, and a greater jiart of the second floor of the beautiful 
Elk's Building, until such a time as an ai)])ro])riation pro- 
viding for a new building will be passed. This new institu- 
tion meets a long tVlt want in the Missouri Slope country, 
where the need foi- normal school trained rural teachers has 
been far beyond the available supply. 



212 



North Dakota of Today 



Tlie Xoiiiial site has already' beeu purchased, aud con- 
sists of sixty acres, located soutli of the Country Club, for a 
consideration of |."),000. Tlie Normal School opened with a 
first-class faculty of six members, an excellent course of 
study, aud an enrollment of sixty students; which is a most, 
promising beginning for the school. 




STATE SCHOOL OF SCIENCE 

The State School of Science was located at Wahpeton 
by Constitutional provision in the year of 1889 and was then 
endowed with 40,000 acres of public land. No further move 
was made towards the establishment of the school until 1903, 
when the school was opened with a teaching force of three 
instructors. 

For the tirst two years of its existence progress was but 
slow on account of the meagerness of its income and lack of 
suitable accommodations. During this time instruction was 
given in rooms rented from the Red River A'alley T^niversity, 
where, of necessity, space was circumscribed and equipment 
inadequate. The property of the University was subsequent- 



Institutions of North Dakota 213 

ly piircliased and an additional building erected for tlie use 
of the mechanical department. 

The state Legislature of 1909 made an additional and 
liberal appropriation of |59;700, for the construction of a 
girls' dormitory ,a chemical building, and other improve- 
ments and furnishings. In 1918 the buildings consisted of : 
The Administration Building Mechanics Building, Chemistry 
Building, Gymnasium, Burch Hall, and Power Plant. The 
library in the school contains more than GOOO volumes. Tlie 
school occupies a site of twenty-five acres. 

The status and scope of the school has been that of a 
junior college offering a three-year general college course 
and two-year college courses in mechanical and electrical 
engineering, chemistry and domestic science. Elementary 
courses in steam and gas engineering and domestic science, 
together with a ver^^ strong course in commercial and pre 
paratory work being also offered. 

Since 1916, the State School of Science has been some- 
what altered in its scope of work, it being converted into a 
practical industrial trades schools, of the following courses : 
Engineering^ Electrical and Mechanical, Trade, Scientific, 
Domestic Science, Agriculture, Academic, Teachers and Com- 
mercial, 

The school is enjoying a healthy progressive expansion. 
From an enrollment of nine students in 1907, and 13 in 1909, 
the enrollment for 1917-8 being 273, with 111 graduates. The 
strictly practical courses are gaining in popularity with each 
successive year. The present faculty consists of 21 members. 
The total investment of the school, in grounds, buildings and 
equipment represents the sum of |152,392.75. 




XORMAL-IXDUSTE I AL SCHOOL 



The State Indiistriiil School was established by consti- 
tutional provision in 1881) and located at Ellendale, Dickey 
County, being- endowed at the same time with a grant of 40,- 
000 acres of ])ublic land, proceeds from the sale and leasing of 
which in the interest and income fund, are forever ])k^dged 
for the establishment and maintenance of the school. 

Tlic scliool Mas lirst organized in accordance wilii the 
above provisions in IS!)!) ^^■itll tlu^ ol»ject. as ex])ressed in stat- 
utory enactment, of providing instruction in a com})rehensive 
way in A\'ood and iron work and the various otliei- lu-anclies of 
manual training, cooking, sewing, modeling, art work, and 
the various branches of domestic economy as a co-ordinate 
branch of education togetlier Axitli mathematics, <lra\\iiig and 
other necessary studies. Since 1!)1G, it has been converted 
into a Normal-Industrial School, giving besides the above 
mentioned courses, also a full Normal course. 

There are two departments. Normal and Industrial. The 
faculty in 1 1)17-8 consisted of 26 members, esjtecially chosen 
because of tlieir trained efficiency in particular branches of 
instruction. The enrollment for the same year being 401 
sludents. with a graduating class of 132 and 44 seniors. The 



IXSTITUTIOXS OF XORTH DAKOTA 215 

work of the st-hool is now cai-ried on in five commodious and 
modern biiildings, as follows: Carnegie Hall, Manual Train- 
ing Building, Armory and Gymnasium, Engine Laboratory, 
and Young Ladies' Dormitory. 

The courses offered in the industrial department are : 
steam engineering, meclianical arts, home economics, com- 
mercial arts, librar}^ methods, line arts, and instrumental 
music. In addition there are also offered short, three-month 
winter courses, commencing January 1st, in dressmaking and 
farm engineering. 

The objects of the school are being ably and efficiently 
worked out, offering a thorough industrial training. The 
keynote of the institution is practicalness, an idea which 
commends itself to the people of the State generally, which 
they express by a liberal patronage of the school. 




SCHOOL OF FORESTRY 



The State School of Forestry was establislied by the state 
constitution, adopted in 1889, and was directed to be located 
somewhere in the counties of McHenry, Ward, Rolette or 
Bottineau, the exact place to be determined at an election to 
be held for that purpose. Such an election Avas held Novem- 
ber 6, 1894, resulting in location of the school at Bottineau. 
In 1897 the state Legislature enacted a law naming the school 
the North Dakota School of Forestry, and declaring it to be 
located at Bottineau by virtue of the vote taken thereon 
according to law. The ol)ject of the si'hool was at the same 
time declared to be: "Instruction in such arts and sciences 
as shall hereafter be determined by the board of directors, 
and especially in the art and science of forest culture, and 
which shall embrace a preparatory department, where all 
the various branches shall be taught pertaining to a good 
common school education." 

In 1901 a tax of three onc-lnindrcdths of a mill was levied 
on all taxable property in the State, for the maintenance of 



Institutions of North Dakota 217 

the institution. The Legislature of 1907 amended these acts 
by declaring the object of the school to be : "Instiiiction and 
training contemplated in an agricultural high school, empha- 
sizing those subjects that have a direct bearing on forestry 
and horticulture." 

The first building of the school was erected during the 
summer of 1906 by the citizens of Bottineau, on grounds 
donated by the State. In 1907 the Legislature passed an act 
appropriating $25,000 for erecting and e<iuipping a new 
building. The assembly of 1909 appropriated an additional 
18000 for the completion of the above building, |3,000 for the 
erection of a greenhouse, |1,000 for improvements on the 
farm, |1,500 for e<iuippiiig the laboratories and library, and 
|6,000 for maintenance. 

The school first opened its doors to students January 7, 
1907 and in 1909 a total of 115 students had been enrolled. 
Recognizing the fact that the majority of boys and girls do 
not receive a university education, the course of study had 
been designed to fit them for the pursuit of those vocations, 
for which the institution prescribes a course of study, with 
more than average intelligence. At the same time it was cal- 
culated to help those who desire to pursue a more advanced 
course in one of the higher institutions of learning in the 
State. Special attention being given to elementary agricul- 
ture and horticulture and especially to forest culture. 

The experimental work of the station has been success- 
ful beyond expectation. During the two seasons alone since 
the opening of the school, 9000 trees had been i)lanted, of 
which more than 8000 survived. Of trees and shrubs about 
75 distinct varieties have been use<l, among which are elm, 
boxelder, ash, poplar, soft maple, aspen, pines, spruces, fir 



218 XoKTii Dakota of Today 

jiiid i^oiiie of the native trees and shrubs. Amon<; the shrubs 
are roses^ snowl)all, honeysuckle, s])irea, high busli cranberry 
and mock orange. The experiments are conducted for tlie 
purpose of jiscertainin*;- tlie varieties wliicli are l)est adapted 
to the soil and climate of tlie State. Althouiih agroncmiy is of 
secondary importance, some attention has been given to 
variety tests with barley, wheat, corn and potatoes. Consid- 
erable Avork has also been done with clover, and alfalfa, with 
fair results. 

Since 191G, the scope of the work in this school has been 
broadened. Realizing that there is comparatively little use 
for a purely technical school of forestry in a prairie state, 
courses in manual and industrial training have been added 
for the boys, with a course in home economics for girls, be- 
side the regular courses thus far pursued. The faculty of 
1917-8 consisted of 7 members, with an enrollment of 187 
students. 




SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND 

The establislinieiit of a Blind Asylum in the county of 
Pembina was provided for by constitutional enactment in 
1881), but it was not until the Legislative session of 1895 
that it was definitely located at Bathgate, under the name 
of the North Dakota Pdind Asylum, and the sum of |25,000 
approi)riated for construction of buildings. Further appro- 
priations were made in 10(17, and the scliool was formally 
0])ened for pupils in IDOS. 

Coincident with the establishment of the asylum in 1889 
it was endowed Avith a land grant of 30,000 acres, proceeds 
from the sale and leasing of which are permanently invested 
and form a i)erpetual endowment, frcmi the interest of which 
are paid the expenses of the institution. This is supplement- 
ed, from time to time, by ai)pr()|)riations from the State Leg- 
islature for permanent improvements as tliey become neces- 
sary. The management consists of tlie State Board of Ad- 
ministration and the faculty of o members. 



220 North Dakota of Today 

The jmrpose of the school is "to train and educate blind 
children and yonng people for self-support and good citizen- 
ship.** Tlie school is o]ten for instruction of pnpils for 
calendar months, from the middle of September to the middle 
of June. The faculty consists of a superintendent, a matron 
and sewing teacher, a literary teacher, a music teacher and 
an instructor in industrial work. 

All blind children and all persons whose sight is so de- 
fective that they cannot attend the public schools, who are 
of school age, residents of the state, of sound mind, in good 
health and of good moral character, are eligible to the advant- 
ages of the school. Board, room, laundry, books, tuition, med- 
icine and ordinary medical attendance are provided free out 
of the funds of the school. Pupils are expected to provide 
clothing, traveling expenses to and from the school, and post- 
age. 

The total enrollment in 1908 was 25, running from 8 to 
24 years of age. At first considerable difficulty was experi- 
enced in inducing parents to consent to their children's at- 
tendance at the school, but tliis has been largely overcome, 
owing to a better understanding of the objects of the estab- 
lishment of the institution. The present enrollment is 30. 

Experience in similar institutions throughout the coun- 
try shows that the majority of children, who begin instruc- 
tion at an early age— 7 is the best— will be self-supporting, 
a few will have marked success, and others will have de- 
veloped so as to be of much help at home. The courses em- 
brace the following subjects : Point reading, point writing, 
spelling, language and grammar, geography, physiology, 
physical geography, United States history, English history, 
general history, civics, American literature, English litera- 



Institutiox.s of North Dakota 221 

tiire, rhetoric, algebra, geometry, physics, political economy, 
elementary agriculture, and brief descriptive courses in chem- 
istry, zoology, botany and astronomy and music. In the 
industrial department the girls are taught light housekeep- 
ing, hand and machine sewing, the care of their own clothing, 
etc., and the boys bead work, the making of mats and rugs, 
rattan baskets, hammocks, tiy nets and cane chairs. 




SCHOOL FOK THE \>K\V AND DUMB 



Tlie s<-li(»()l for the deaf and duiuh of Nortli Dakota was 
establislied by the state constitution adopted in 1889, and is 
located at tlie city of Devils Lake in Kamsey County. A'; 
land j>rant (►f 40. 000 aci-es forms a perpetual endowment of 
which only the interest and income is available for use by 
the institution. Almost all of this has been sold and consti- 
tutes a substantial ]tortion of the revenues of the institution. 

The school tii-st o]»ened its doors in 1S!)0. In 1000 about 
200 deaf and dumb of this state had received instruction and 
10 were jiraduate*]. One-half of this number successfully 
passed the entrance examinations to Gallaudet College, 
Washington, 1). C., and had been admitted to that institution, 
which is the only institution, of its kind, of higher education 
in the A\'orld. 

The school is intended for the instruction of those living 
in the state, who are too deaf to be educated in the public 
schools, and to educate and equip them for useful citizenship. 
All cliildren over seven years of age and under twenty-five, 
too deaf to profitably attend the ])ublic schools, are admitted. 



Instititioxs of North Dakota 223 

free of all expense, except railroad fare, clothing and person- 
al incidentals. These latter are provided by the varions conn- 
ties from which the children come, when necessary. 

The cour*se of stndy covers a period of twelve years, and 
embraces the following subjects : language, grammar and lit- 
erature, aritlmietic, geograjthy, American and English his- 
tory, civil government, physiology, and one year of algebra, 
and natural ]>hil()s;)i)hy for those intending to attend college. 
In addition to the intellectual department the students are 
taught housekeeping, sewing and dressmaking, and the boys 
are tauglit car})entry and printing, the aim of the school 
being to send forth men and women into the world ca])able 
of self-su])])oi-t. 

The property of the school comprises 140 acres within 
tlie city limits t)f Devils Lake. T^p to the present time it rep- 
resents an outlay of |100,000. At the present time there 
are 110 students in attendance at the school. The faculty 
consists of G teachers in the intellectual department, and 3 
in the imlustrial department, besides the principal and ma- 
tron. 

Though one of the youngest schools of its kind in the 
country, the North Dakota School for the Deaf and Dumb 
is ranked as one of the best of the smaller schools. At the 
St. Louis exhibition, this school was awarded a medal for 
its exhibit of work, and was the smallest and youngest to 
receive such award. The school is accom])lisliing a noble an<l 
useful work for the afflicted throughout the state, and in 
both its intellectual and industrial departments, is fitting for 
a happy career many who would otherwise be a burden on 
themselves and their relatives. 




Hospital Building 



Ward Buildint 



HOSPITAL FOR THE INSANE 



The Dakota Legislature of 1883 passed an act providing 
for tlie construction and oi-ganizatioii of a Hospital for the 
Insane, to be located within a distance of four miles from the 
conrthonse (►f Stntsman Oonnty, located in the city of James- 
town, North Dakota. Governor Pierce of Dakota Territory 
appointed M. O. Cnshing, L. Lyon, V. E. Jones and George 
W. Pierce, as members of the first board of trustees. The 
board of trustees met and organized, after receiving their 
commissions, in May, 1883, and i)roceeded to the considera- 
tion of a suitable site for the liospital. The law under which 
they were operating provided that a 640-acre tract of land 
sliduld be junchascd, and tlic Ixijird advertised for proi)osals 
thereon. 

In resi)onse to this advertisement, fourteen proposals 
were received, the lands therein described varying in distance 
from Jamestown from one to four miles and in price from |1G 
to |30 per acre. As a result of the consideration of these 
]»r()])()sals aii(i an iiisijci'tion of the various tracts offered, it 



IXSTITITIOXS OF XORTII DAKOTA 225 

was decided to purchase from J. J. Flint, the tract upon 
which the hospital is now located, the consideration being 
$20,000. On this tract there was located a small farm house 
which was included in the purchase. 

Dr. O. W. Archibald, who at the time, was in the ser- 
vice of the United States Army and located at Fort Lincoln, 
near Bismarck, was appointed as the first superintendent 
and assisted the board in the selection of i)lans for the build- 
ing and its location. The hospital was opened May 1, 1885. 
Since then the number of buildings has increased from time 
to time until the institution at this time comprises an admin- 
istration building, seven ward buildings, containing three 
wards each, a hospital building, having a ward for each sex, 
an assembly hall, a dining room and kitchen building, a cold 
storage, laundry, ])ower-house, hose house, steel tower and 
40,000 gallon water tank, two barns, ice house, two root 
cellars, etc. The amount of land has increased to 1,250 acres. 

The hospital is maintained jointly by the state and its 
several counties, each county paying the state at the rate of 
f 10 per month for the care of each patient committed there- 
from, the state bearing the balance of the expenses of opera- 
tion and of the construction and repairs of buildings. 

The total nund)er of patients from the time the hospital 
opened, to June 30, 1908, inclusive, was 3,065. Of this num- 
ber 1,717 Avere discharged and 750 died. The number of pa- 
tients treated has increased each year, keeping pace with the 
increase in population of the State. There are at the present 
time 1230 patients in the hospital. The number of attend- 
ants is as follows: Male, 21; female, 17; total 3S. 

The hospital is governed by the State Board of Adminis- 
tration. The resident officers having ])ersonal supervision 



2lM; ]N'(»utii Dakota of Today 

of tJie institution, consistinj;' of one .superintendent, two as- 
sistant ]>liysicians, one stewait an<l one matron. 

The object of the liospital is to receive and care for all 
insane persons residing within the state, who may be commit- 
ted to its cai-c. sul>j(M-t to discretionary ]»owers vested in the 
boai-<l of aduiiiiisi rjition, wiio are empowered to refuse or 
acc(^|tt ;i |i;iti('ii( under ((M-taiu conditions, and to furnish all 
ne('(h'd iiuMlical licatuient, seclusion, rest, restraint, attend- 
ance, amuseuKMil, occupation and support wliich may tend to 
restore their healtli and i-ecover tlieiu fi-om insanity or to 
alUniate tlu'ir sulTerin<is. 

Although one (►f the lai-iiest public institutions in the 
state, its land endowment is the smallest — 20,000 acres, and 
it is therefore more directly dependent on legislative appro- 
])riation for its su]>])oi-t and maintenance. This has been 
liberally forthcoming in the shai)e of biennial, monetary pro- 
visions, repairs and maintenance. 

Since the day of opening, in ]NSr», the i»uri)oses of the 
institution have been humanely and efticicmtly carried out, 
and a high stan«lard established in the care, treatment and 
cure of the mentally afflicted. Today, the hospital is con- 
ceded to be a model of its kind and its methods have been 
widely cojned by similar institutions all ovei- the country. 




INSTITrTIOX FOR FEEBLE MINDED 



The Xoi-tli Dakota Iiistitnlioii for Feelde Minded was 
located by ]ej»i.slative euaetinent at or near tlie city of Graf- 
ton by the State Legislature of 1903, on a site originally pur- 
chased by the United States Goyernnient for the location of 
a penitentiary, Init later granted to the State of North Da- 
kota for the erection of this institution. 

Tlie objects of its establishment were for the care of 
all the feeble-minded ])ersons resident of the State of North 
Dakota, who, in the opinion of the superintendent, are of 
suitable age and capacity to receiye instruction in the insti- 
tution, and whose defects ])reyent them from receiying proper 
training in the public schools of the State; and all idiotic 
and epileptic persons resident of this State may be admit- 
ted to and receive the benefits of the institution, free of 
charge, subject to such rules and regulations as may be made 
by the board of trustees. 

The institution is controlled by the State Board of 
Administration. It is under the direct personal superyision 



228 XOKTU T>AK()TA OP TODAY 

of a sii))(M-iiit('ii(l('iit. who iimst be a ])liysi('iaii skilled in 
fai-iu<; for and iiistrnctiiiii' this class of nnfortnnat<'s, and 
who is appointed by the board. Sncli superintendent shall 
name all subordinate officers and such nominations shall be 
confirmed or rejected bv the board. 

The Main Building was erected in the years of 1902 and 
ll)(lo, and was o])ened for the reception of inmates on May 
1, 1904. By IIIOI), 242 inmates had been admitted, the pres- 
ent number being 263. Other buildings consist of a hospital, 
several farm buildings, laundry l»uilding and ])o\ver house. 

The inuiates are cared for by three oflicers and twenty- 
one employes, besides two teachers in the training depart- 
ment. The inmates are classified into tw^o divisions, accord- 
ing to their mental capacity — the training and custodial de- 
partment, all those capable of receiving instruction being in 
the trainiug dei)artment, and those incapable of receiving 
instruction and only reipiiring institutional care, being in 
the custodial department. 

The work of the ti-aining d(']>artuient has shown uiarked 
progress uinler the present system of teaching and its capable 
exponents. It has been demonstrated by actual experience 
that more can be accomplished with the feeble-minded by 
manual than by mental training, hence consi<lerable attention 
has lt(M'n given to develojmieut along these lines. I'ollowing 
out this idea, basketry and weaving have been given much 
attention. The making of baskets is a source of enjoyment 
to the child and of profit to the institution, visitors l)eing 
eager to Iniy the i»r(Kluct, and the receipts from this source 
have more than (Mjualed the expenditures. Such has been 
the success attained that other work, such as making ham- 
mocks, tly nets, etc., has been inaugurated. 



Institutions of Xortii Dakota 229 

The institution is performing a useful and humanitarian 
work in the community and educating to the greatest use- 
fulness of which they are capable, many unfortunates who 
would otherwise be a burden and a sorrow to their relatives 
and friends. 




STATE I'KN ITE^'TIAK Y 

Tlie North Dakota Penitentiary was founded in 1S83 and 
located at l^isniarck, then recently named the cajtital city 
of the Teii-itory of Dakota. Upon the division of the territory 
in 1SS9 and its admission into the T'nion as the two states 
of Nortli and South Dakota, the ])enitentiary was taken oyer 
by North Dakota at a yaluation of |l)0,r)31. 

At that time the institution consisted of cme cell house, 
offices and (juarters all beinj>' in tlie same buildin*>' and 
possessed of acccmimodations for but a limited number of in- 
mates. Since then, keeping pace Ayitli the rapid growth in 
population of the new state, it has grown until it now covers 
about six acres enclosed with a high stone wall. The cell 
house now in use has accommodations for 320 inmates, ex- 
clusive of some forty cells in the basement of the hospital 
building which can be used in an emergency, and eight large 
invalid cells in the hospital. In addition to these. ])rovision 
has been made for three sick wards and additional room has 
been furnished for attendants. Outside the enclosure has 
been erected a beautiful and commodious war<len's resi<lence 



Institutions of North Dakota 231 

and the j-vuunds have been beautified by trees and lawns so 
that the general appearance of the institution and its sur- 
roundings is parkdike and imposing, well-meriting the name 
of Grove by wliich it is now designated. 

The industrial work of the institutional consists of the 
twine plant, the farm and the brickyard. The twine plant 
has an annual output of between three and one-half million 
pounds. The brickyard has a capacity of over 1,000,000 
brick per annum. The farm covers by ownership and lease- 
hold some 3,300 acres of land, most of the land is leased, only 
340 acres belonging to the institution. 

The principal industry of the penitentiary is undoubt- 
edly that of twine manufacturing, for wliich a large and up- 
to-date plant is in constant operation. It is a model of me- 
chanical skill and efticiency and produces for the state a 
handsome return over and above all operating expenses. Al- 
though the sale of the output is limited to the State of North 
Dakota and is in comi)etition with the twine trust and the 
prison i)roduct of Minnesota and Indiana, the sale of this 
twine to farmers in the State each year is enormous. 

The North Dakota penitentiary has for many years been 
looked upon as one of the model institutions of its kind in 
the United States, and its methods and results are matters 
of study by phrenologists from every state. There are at 
present 111 inmates. 

The institution is under the government of tlie State 
Board of Administration and is under the immediate sup- 
ervision of the warden, wlio is a]>i>ointed by the lioard. All 
other officers and employes are ai>}»ointed by the warden sul>- 
ject to the approval of the l»oai-<l, and hoid ott'ice during the 
pleasure of the warden. 




REFORM SCHOOL 



The State Reform School was established by constitu- 
tional provision in 1889, and permanently located at Mandan, 
Morton County. The school was endowed with a land grant 
of 40,000 acres, the moneys accruing from the sales and leas- 
ings of which constitute forever a fund of which the interest 
only is available for the maintenance of the institution. 

The school is under the government of the State Board 
of Administration. This l)()ar<l a])p(>ints a superintendent 
who has the direct charge, custody and control of the school, 
and who a]>i)oints all other officers an<l employes, subject to 
the approval of the board. Tlie resident officers of the scluxd 
are besides the superintendent, a matron, a family manager, 
a teamster and mechanic, a teacher and ;i cook. 

The school was established for the restraint and educa- 
tion of any person under the age of 18 years, who may be 
found guilty of a crime or offense other than murder, when- 
ever the committing court, in its judgment deems such per- 
son a i)roper subject for committment to the school. In this 



IXSTITUTIOXS OF XoitTll J >AKUTA I'lio 

event tlie court niaj, instead of entering' judgment, direct by 
an order to be entered in the minutes of tlie court, that such 
person be committed to the reform scliool for the remainder 
of such person's minoritv. After one year's detention the 
boai-d of administration may, U])on satisfactory evidence of 
reformation, and as a reward for good conduct and dili- 
gence in study, discliarge any inmate thercfr(mi. 

Since its establishment, the school has performed an 
invaluable work in the uplifting and education of incorrig- 
ibles, unfortunate and homeless children, who have largely 
through the <-om])ulsion of unhappy home surroundings, vio- 
lated the laws of the State; and many have been discharged 
with the whole current of their life changed and possessed 
of a determination to work onwards and upwards to the 
plane of useful and honorable citizenshi}). The school uoav 
has a mechani: al training and mechanical arts department, 
v.licrein instruction is given along tliese lines. The boys 
have largely assisted in the construction of some of the build- 
ings that have been added, thus saving the State many thous- 
ands of dollars. 

The school now possesses an ecjuipment along the lines 
for which it was constructed which will meet the needs of 
the State for many years to come, and under its present man- 
agement, is worthily and sufficiently fultilling the object of 
its existence. The present number of inmates is 87. 




SOLDIEKS* HOME 



The Soldiers' Home of ^S'ortli Dakota was estahlislied at 
Lisbon, Ransom County, by constitutional provision in ISS!), 
and was permanently endowed with a land grant of 40,000 
acres. The home is supported by the revenue derived from 
its land j^rant and is in no sense a burden on the tax])ayers of 
the state. 

The general su})ervision and government of the liiniic is 
vested in the State liaard of Adiiiiuisti-ation. It is Uiider 
tli(^ ])ei-soual snpei-vision and couti-i!! of a (•(niiiiiaiidant 
a])point(Ml by IIk^ bnard, \\ho iii tniii app:)iiits all other 
subordinate ofi'irei-s of the institution. 7hc objert of the 
home is to ])rovi(h^ a home and subsistence for all hon- 
orably discharged soldiers, sailors and marines who liave 
served in the Army and Xavy of the United States, and who 
are disabled by disease, woun<ls. old age oi- oth<M•\^■ise. and 
their wives and widows. 

The home is beautifully situated on the east side of the 
SheA'enne Kiver, in a natural ^rove of tind)er. It has al»out 



IXSTITITIOXS OF NoilTll DAKOTA 235 

83 acres of land, 40 of which is cleared, aud on which are 
raised all the vegetables used at the home, and hay and grain 
to keep the horses and cows in connection with the institn- 
tion. The home is less than half a mile from the Northern 
Pacific Railway de])ot and jnst one mile from the Lisbon post- 
oflice. It possesses facilities for the care of fifty or more 
old soldiers. 

There are three bnildings in the home ])r()per. One con- 
tains the qnarters for men, a mess-room and kitchen, and a 
well-lighted reading room. The second ])nilding is in the 
hospital an<l women's dormitory. The tliird is the command- 
ant's residence and officers' cpiarters. These bnildings are all 
bnilt of red pressed l»rick with sandstone trimmings. They 
are complete and substantial and make a fine showing. 

The grounds are handsomely laid ont with driveways, 
and are kept n]> in tlie best possible condition, with large 
fhiM'(M- Iseds in many pla; es tliat are kej»1 full of flowering 
plants during the entire summer. The home is the center of 
attraction for the ])eople of Lisl)on and visitors generally, and 
is much appreciated by all who visit it. It is in every way 
an ideal location and environment for such an institution, 
and the soldier is indeed fortunate who is privileged to spend 
here the remaining years of his life. Tliere are 31 inmates 
in the h(mie at the present time. 



236 North Dakota of Today 

FORT LINCOLN 

A battalion i)ost of tlie United States Army is located 
at Fort Lincoln, about two miles southeast of Bismarck, on 
a site donated to the Government, which embraces some 858 
acres. It was officially established in 1899, and was first oc- 
cupied in 1902, having been built to replace Old Fort Lincoln 
which occupied a site across the river from Bismarck. The 
buildings are as follows : Field and line officers' quarters, 
and two double sets of post non-commissioned officers' quart- 
ers, barracks for 400 enlisted men, post hospital and hospital 
stewards' quarters, post headquarters building, guard house, 
baker}^, post exchange, quartermaster and commissary of- 
fices and storehouse, workshop, civilian employes' qimrters, 
stables for 50 animals, icehouse, fire-apparatus house and 
gymnasium. Tliese buildings are of brick with stone founda- 

NATIONAL GUARD ARMORIES 

The National Guard of North Dakota consists of one reg- 
iment of infantry, with a band, and one battery of light artill- 
ery. The infantry companies are distributed over the State 
at the most suitable strategic points for rapid mobilization, in 
case of internal or foreign disturbances. Under the stimu- 
lus of fe<leral re(]uirements as set forth in the Dick bill, 
which practically places the militia organization on the same 
footing as the regular army, the infantry regiment and bat- 
tery are now equipped and ready to take the field at the 
shortest notice. The regiment stands high among the militia 
of the United States and in general efficiency and esiu-it de 
corps is second to none. 

The majority of the companies have built handsome and 
substantial armories in tlieir respective cities, among which 



Institutions of North Dakota 237 

are Conipam: "A" at Bismairk, costing |15,000; Company 
"G" at Valley City, costing .f20,000 ; Company "K" at Dick- 
inson, costing 123,000; Company ^'L" at Hillsboro, costing 
115,000; (N)mpany "C" at Grafton, costing |10,000; Battery 
"A" and Band, at Lisbon, costing |20,000, an<l Company "I" 
at Wahpeton, costing |15,000. 

Rifle ranges have also been laid ont at the various com- 
pany- stations in addition to the permanent regimental ranges 
located at the state encampment grounds near Devil's Lake, 
N. D. These grounds are a gift to the State from the Federal 
Government, and constitute an ideal place for field instruc- 
tion and practical discipline of the troops. 

INDIAN SCHOOLS 

The Bismarck Indian School is located l)etween the citv' 
of Bismarck ])r()})er and the Missouri River and is distant 
about one mile from the postoffice. It was established De- 
cember 14, 1000, and opened its doors for the reception of 
pupils December 1, 1908. It has a capacity for 100 pupils 
but the average attendance is 02. The buildings represent an 
investment of .1^50,121, and are six in number. The annual 
governmental appropriation is a per capita amount of $\(\~ 
for each })U])il, the average ap])ropriation being .f20,200. It 
is under the i)ersonal sui)ervision of a superintendent and 
there are in addition 11 other employes. 

The Indian School at Wahpeton in Richland County, 
first received i)upils on February 9, 1908, construction com- 
mencing in 190."). The average attendance is 75, with a ca- 
pacity for 150. The annual appropriation for maintenance 
is 118.200, based on an attendance of 100. There are 13 em- 
ployes on the staff and two class-room teachers. The school 



2.'{S XouTii Dakota of Today 

represents an investment of |160,000, and was established for 
the Indians of North Dakota and South Dakota and Minne- 
sota. 

Fort Totten at Devils Lake has also been converted into 
an Indian school, and enjoys a large attendance, the Fort 
Totten Indian band, a production of this school, is noted for 
its excellence. All of the Indian schools in North Dakota 
are devoted to the culturing of the Indians, and educating 
them to modern ways and customs, and principally in pro- 
gressive agriculture, as also in the industrial branches. Prac- 
tical experience has proved that it pays to educate the Indian, 
and the schools are clearly demonstrating this. 

WEATHER BI REAIJS 

The United States Government maintains weather bu- 
reaus and climatological stations at Bismarck, Devils Lake, 
Ellendale, and AVilliston. The chief bureau is located at 
Bismarck, to whicli ])(>iut rcixu-ts are forwarded from co- 
operative observers living in various parts of the State. These 
are compiled, tabulated and issued in the form of weekly and 
monthly bulletins to the public, free of charge. The bureau 
is under the personal supervision of a section director. The 
monthly reports are elaborate and complete, and cover every 
climatic condition and variation occurring during the per- 
iod, including those of temperature, precipitation, ^^ind, sun- 
shine, and cloudiness, atmospheric pressure and miscellane- 
ous phenomena. The stations are equipped with the most 
approved and latest instruments for the automatic registra- 
tion of climatic happenings and are modern and complete 
in every particular. 



Institutions of Xoutii Dakota 239 

BATTLESHIP ''NORTH DAKOTA" 

The battleship ''North Dakota," named in honor of this 
State, is one of the largest and most powerful battleships 
in tlie world. The cost of bnilding and e(iuipment is |10,000,- 
000. Of this 11,000,000 was expended for guns alone, of 
which there are ten 12-inc-h guns at |65,000 each, and 14 
5-in('h rifles at |1 0.000 each, in the main battery, besides 12 
rapid-tire guns and minor pieces. Five tons of metal are 
hurled at each discharge. She is equipped with two Curtiss 
reversible turbines of 25,000 horse power, which attain the 
speed of 21 knots an hour. 

Her tonnage is 21,000 tons. To tire one broadside costs 
|1 7,000, exclusive of the cost of maintaining gunners, and 
one shot from each of her 12-inch guns costs |1,160. It costs 
f 1 .000,000 per annum to keep the vessel in commission, in- 
cluding the pay and feeding of the 900 officers and men. Her 
length is 510 feet, breadth over 83 feet and she draws 20 
feet of water. At her speed trials she exceeded the most san- 
guine anticipations of her builders, and is today the fastest 
vessel of her size afloat under any flag. The battleship was 
launched from the yards of the Fore River Shipbuilding Com- 
pany in the 3''ear of 1909. 



ClIAPTEK XXV. 



HOLIDAYS OF NORTH DAKOTA 

A CALENDAR OF HOLIDAYS 

January 1 — New Year's Day. 

Temperance Day — Third Friday in January. 

Appreciation Week — in January, date set by committee. 

February 12 — Lincoln's Birthday. 

February 22 — -Washington's Birthday. 

Arbor Day — Day set by (Jovernor in April. 

Mothers' Day — Second Sunday in JNIay. 

May 30— Memorial Day. 

June 14 — Flag Day. 

July 4 — Lidependence Day. 

Labor Day — First ^londay in September. 

Election Day — All general election days. 

October 14 — Columbus Day. 

October 27 — Roosevelt's Birthday. 

Thanksgiving Day — Last Thursday in November. 

December 25 — Cbristmas Day. 

ArPRECIATIOX WEEK 

The tirst observance of an "Appreciation Week" was in 
the fall of 1915, the work being carried on under the auspices 
of the North Dakota Press Association and the North Da- 
kota Development League Press Bureau. Everywhere the 
results were excellent, and so great was the satisfaction, that 
at the Grand h'orks meeting in January, 191G, the Association 
decided to make this an annual affair. The committee in 
charge went over the ground during the early autumn months, 
and for a number of reasons, among which was that the elec- 
tion work would interfere witli the proper observation of 
Appreciation week in the early fall, and that Thanksgiving 
and Christmas holidavs would interfere with its obsei'vauce 



Holidays of ]S"ortii Dakota 241 

later on, it was decided to hold tlie celebration in January of 
each Year, specific date being annonnced anunally by com- 
mittee in charge. The i)nri)Ose of Appreciation Week, is to 
adYertise the State of North Dakota beyond its own borders, 
and to stimnlate among its own people a thorough apprecia- 
tion of its value as a state in which to live and to engage in 
all the proper actiYities of life. 

MOTHERS' DAY 

Mothers' Day is observed on the second Sunday in May. 
Miss Anna Jarvis inaugurated the movement in 1907. It 
occurred to her while commemorating the death of her own 
mother on the second Sunday of May, that the da}-, falling 
in a season of blue sky and blossoms, might be set aside as 
an annual festival iipon which due tribute of affection and 
remembrance should be rendered to all mothers. Miss Jarvis 
then began an appeal of personal appeal to men prominent 
in public life, clergymen, philanthropists, business and pro- 
fessional men, asking them to further the movement. She 
pleaded her case so eloquently that in 1910 the day Avas cele- 
brated not only in Philadelphia, but in many other cities. 
On May 10, 1913, a resolution passed the United States House 
of Representatives and the Senate commending Mothers' Day 
for observance by the two houses of Congress, the President 
and his Cabinet, and other heads of the government depart- 
ments. 

In that same year tlie legislature of Nebraska made 
Mothers' Day a state flag day in honor of the patriotism of 
Nebraska's true homes and mothers. In Ma}' 1913, the legis- 
lature of Pennsylvania made Mothers' Day a state holiday. 
The day is planned to l)e oliserved by some distinct mark of 



1'42 North Dakota of Today 

kindness, visit, letter, gift or tribute, showing remembrance 
cf the mother to whom affection is due. It is a day to per- 
petuate family ties. An international association has been 
formed to promote and protect tlie observance of the day in 
all countries, and to carry forward the word. President Wil- 
son and our ex-Presidents are honorary national officers of 
the association. A special significance is added to the observ- 
ance by the wearing of a carnation — a red carnation for one 
who is living — and a white carnation for one who has passed 
beyond. 

ARP»OK DAY 

Arbor Day is a holiday for which the date in each suc- 
cessive year is set by the Governor. It is devoted to the plant- 
ing of trees, which are one of Dakota's big resources. To 
prevent their being exhausted, this observance was origin- 
ated, as also to encourage the planting of trees on every ])os- 
sible vacant s])ot, or place of waste land in the state, that 
can be, and sliouM be made a beauty s])ot, useful and valu- 
able by the ]iiaiiting of trees. 

TEMPERANCE DAY 

Tem])erau('e Day. has l)een added to the list of observ- 
ances in North Dakota, the following law being eiiarted by 
the l!tl7 Legislative Assembly : 

"That the third Friday in January of each year shall 
be set apart and designated as "Temperance Day," and in 
every public school in the State of North Dakota, not less 
than one hour of the school day shall be set apart for instruc- 
tion and appro])riate exercises, relating to the liistoi-y and 
benefits of |»roliibitioii laws in North Dakota. l*rovi<led. 



Holidays of jS^orth Dakota 243 

that the school shall coutinue its regular work during the 
remainder of the day. It shall be the duty of the state, 
county, city and school district officers, and of all public 
school teachers in the state to carry out the provisions of 
this act." 



J^'% 




h^i 



'••*!f«8! 



(CHAPTER XX^'I. 



NORTH DAKOTA NATIONAL GUARD 

Au item of pride with the people of North Dakota, and 
oue which can justly demand a place in its history, is the 
First North Dakota Infantry of tlie National Guard. The 
regiment was organized in 1883 and has kept jjace with 
the times in military atfairs from the beginning. In 1898 
when President McKinley called for a guard of the United 
States, this regiment was mobilized in three days, going into 
camp at Fargo, May 1st. On May 20th it left for San Fran- 
cisco, and on July 31st it landed in Manila. Just one year 
later, to a day, the regiment embarked for America, arriving 
home about the first of October. 

During that year in the islands this regiment saw some 
of the hardest service of that campaign, participating in 
thirty-two engagements, and winning high honors for val- 
iancy. General Lawton made a remark which has made a 
slogan for the regiment as long as it shall last. He said 
after a most stubborn battle : "You can't stampede the North 
Dakotas!" It was on his first expedition in the Philippines 
that General Lawton learned the worth of tlie First North 
Dakota and complimented it so highly. He was displeased 
when he had to take volunteers on this expedition, but after 
the first day's march, lie was satisfied with the manner in 
which they hiked. In the second day an engagement was 
inevitable. The order to "Charge I" came, and the boys fouglit 
like demons, cleaning every native before them. 

When it was over. General Lawton said : "I always had 
an idea that a volunteer soldier was not worth anything. 



240 XouTJi Dakota of Today 

Yesterda}' I found that he could march, and today 1 have 
found that he can tight like lielll Hereafter those men go 
with me if I can say anything about it. I need tliem to sliow 
the regulars how to fight I You can't stamjtede the f^irst 
Xorth Dakota V 

The First North Dakota went farther into the interior 
of the Islands than any other volunteer regiment. Its boys 
saw as much service as any regiment, and ^^•hile they did 
not leave as many men on the tield as some others, never- 
theless they were in the hottest of every engagement the}' 
participated in. Upon their return Congress passed reso- 
lutions of apjtreciation for the record the First North Dakota 
made. 

On elune 18, 1!)1G, the First North Dakota Infantry 
received its second call to arms, and on the morning of the 
19th, every organization reported for duty. The regiment 
went into camp on the 25th of that month at Fort Linc(dn, 
Bismarck, and on July 22nd, entrained for the Rio (Irande, 
arriving at Mercedes, Texas, which is right (m the border, 
on the afternoon of July 2()th. They were marched through 
the mud into the cactus, brush and grass, where they were 
overtaken by darkness and slei)t as best they could. In a 
few days they had established an excellent cam]). 

The North Dakota regiment, like all other organiza- 
tions of the National Guard, had not the s])lendid eipiip- 
ment and excellent care our American Army has today, and 
will have in the future; but in those days of un]>rei)are(lness 
it was shamefully neglected. In 1S9S the food was bad, there 
was a lack of clothing, ammunition, arms, tentage, and ev- 
erything that was needed. Many of the soldiers entered Ma- 
nila in their citizen's clothes, because the government could 



North Dakota National (IrAKi) 247 

not tit them with i)roper elothiug. After eighteen years 
the same trouble was experienced in 1916, when the guard 
was called, though the conditions were not so bad. There 
was a woeful lack of clothing, especially shoes and under- 
wear. Long after the boys arrived on the border, under the 
broiling sun of that climate, they were compelled to wear 
flannel clothing which had been issued in this northern cli- 
mate, and to buy their own shoes and underwear. The heat 
burned their bodies till their condition was almost unbear- 
able. 

But the boys never murmured. They did their plain 
duty. They drilled, dug trenches, repaired roads, did patrol 
duty on the river bank, guarded the big pumping stations, the 
cities, and the farmers' homes on the border. When on in- 
spection they carried tliemselves in a soldier-like manner, 
far excelling many of the regiments in the service. 

And in the World War, in the great struggle for de- 
mocracy, North Dakota soldier boys have been cited for 
unusual valor and lieroism. Shortly after the North Dakota 
troops had landed in France, Congressman P. I). Norton, in 
speaking before the House, asserted that the North Dakota 
troo])s were composed of real tigliting men and predicted 
+liat in this war, as in the Si)anish-Anierican War and the 
Mexican border troulHes, their feats and action in the stirr- 
ing contests of war would reflect highest honor and glory 
ui»()ii themselves, their State and the Nation. 

Some months after Congressman Norton's speech in the 
House, all and more than he had predicted had come true. 
Ass;:riat(^d Press disjtati-lies carried glowing tributes to the 
intelligence and bi-avery of North Dakota soldiers on the 
American battlefront in France. The storv of the manner 



-4S Xoimi Dakota of Today 

iu which a few Xortli Dakota boys routed the eneni}' out 
of their trenches, liad won the admiration and captured the 
liearts of those who read the story in Washington, as well 
as elsewliere. ^^)rtli Dakota soldier boys have surely em- 
blazoned the name of North Dakota large and brilliantly 
in the history of tlie AVorld AVai-., 

And side by side of their comrades — sleeping in the 
sacred soil of sunny, l)eautiful France — are numbered those 
of our boys who made the "ISui^reme Sacritice.'' It is out of 
these graves that has arisen the freedom of lands long pros- 
trate under the heel of a hated desjjot — that is why the graves 
of our American dead seem like a sacred pledge for a won- 
derful new day — that is Avhy tlie soil of France is sacred 
gj-ound to us. While gentle l-'rench hands water and tend 
the graves of our heroes — from across the Atlantic, wafted 
on the breeze, will float messages of etei-nal love breatlied 
by American hearts. And when the soft spring rains have 
AN'ashed the crimson stains off the floAvers — their fragrance 
will mingle with the cool evening zephyrs, as they gently 
pause over the graves, to ^^'hisper to each other endless tales, 
of the valor and lieroism of American boys, who braved the 
dangers of sea and land, to uphold a Nation's inflexible pur- 
]ios<^ to give freedom to a world in chaos. 




State Flag 



CHAPTER XXV 1 1. 



THE STATE FLAG 

The official state flag of North Dakota is not the pennon 
of a carpet knight. It has seen service. It has floated on 
fields where North Dakotans gave up their lives for their 
country. It has fluttered in winds laden with smoke of bat- 
tle, the noise of conflict, and the cry of dying men. Second to 
the Stars and Stripes, it is a banner to venerate, and it is 
a banner of patriotic veneration. 

For the state flag of North Dakota is none other than the 
flag that the men of the First North Dakota Volunteers 
marched under for two years in the Philippines. It is the 
flag that was with the regiment in thirty-seven engagements. 

Its origin is almost unknown. It was the flag of the 
territorial militia, and it is tirst remembered at Huron, S. 
Dak., when it was unfurled at the annual encampment. VSHio 
designed it; when it was adopted, is not discoverable now. 
But it led men to conquer the wilds of the Philippines. It 
is doubly a pioneer. With l)ut one change in the wording 
of the flag, which is the insertion of the words ''North Da- 
kota" in place of the words ''First North Dakota Infantry,'' 
this is the flag that was carried at the following engagements : 

Blockhouse 14, August 13, 1898. 

Manila, August 13, 1898. 

Manila, February 4 and 5, 1899. 

Paranaque, Feb. 6, 1899, Co. C, I and Iv. 

Malibay, February 10, 1899. 

Insurgent Outpost, April 1, 1899, Co. A and I). 

Santa Cruz, April 9 and 10, 1899. 

Pagsanjan, April 11, 1899. 

Paete, April 12, 1899. 

San Bartolome, April 22, 1899. 

Novaliches, April 22. 1899. 



250 North Dakota of Today 

Tabac, April 29, 1899. 

San Rafael, April 29, 1899. 

Titaban, May 1, 1899. 

Salacot, Mav 15, 1899 (Scouts). 

Tarbon Bridge, May 16, 1899 (Scouts). 

San Isiclro, May 17, 1899 (Scouts). 

San Fernando, Mav 18, 1899. 

Cabaio, May 19, 1899. 

San Antonio, May 20, 1899 (Scouts). 

Cainta, June 3, 1899. 

Taytay, June 3 and 4, 1899. 

Angono, June 1, 1899. 

Baras, June 8, 1899 (Scouts). 

Baras, June 9, 1899 (Scouts). 

Morong, June 23, 1899, Co. 's A and H. 

San Pedro Road, July 8, 1899, Co.'s B, D, G and II. 

San Rafael, May 1, 1899. 

Bustos, May 2, 1899. 

Baliaug, May 2, 1899 (Scouts) 

Sampaloc, May 3, 1899 (Scouts). 

San Ildefonso, May 12, 1899, (Scouts). 

San Miguel, May 13, 1899 (Scouts). 

English Cemetery, July 16 and 17, 1899. Co's C and H. 

Culicula, March 13, 18^99. 

King's Bluff, April 5, 1899. 

Expedition to Foot Hills, May. 1899 (Scouts). 



V. 



CHAPTER XXVTIT. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE SEAL 

The history of the great seal of the State of North 
Dakota goes back over half a ceutury. In the first session 
of the Territorial legislature the House Journal for the 
forty-fifth day, Wednesday 30, IStJ^ has the following : 

"Mr. Puett otfered tlie following resolution: "Resolved 
that a committee of tliree l)e ai)}>ointe(l by the chair to con- 
fer with the committee appointed upon the part of the coun- 
cil relative to a territorial seal. The chair appointed as such 
committee, Messrs. Waldron, Donaldson and Pinney. 

The second Territorial legislature convened Monday, De- 
cember 1, 1<S62 and passed the following bill: 

Section L. — That the following described seal is hereby 
declared to be constituted tlie great seal of North Dakota, to- 
wit : A tree in an oi)en field, the trunk of which is surround- 
ed by a bundle of rods, bound Avith three bands ; on the right — 
plow, sledge, rake and fork ; on the left — bow crossed with 
three arrows, Indian on horseback pursuing the buffalo to- 
wards the setting sun ; foliage of the tree arched by half a 
circle of thirteen stars, surrounded by the motto : "Liberty 
and Union, one and inseparable, now and forever", the words 
"Great Seal" at the top, and at the bottom : "Dakota Terri- 
tory" at the left, and "March 2, 1861" on the right. Seal 
two inches and a half in diameter. The law took effect at 
once. 

When North Dakota became a state, tlie constitutional 
convention took up the debate on what should constitute the 
great seal and after deliberation whether Welister was 



The State Seal l'52 

quoted right in "Liberty and Union, one and inseparable, now 
and forever" ; they decided to follow tlie plan of the Terri 
torial Council, changing it to suit the statehood of North 
Dakota, having forty-two stars instead of thirteen ; placing 
three bundles of wheat around the trunk of the tree and 
leaving off the rake and fork. 



EPILOGUE 

The State of ]S\)ktii Dakota 

Yes, I love it, dearly love it, with a heart that's 

true as steel, 
For there's something in Dakota makes you live 

and breathe and feel ; 
Makes you bigger, broader, better, makes you 

know the worth of toil ; 
Makes you free as are her prairies and as noble 

as her soil. 

Makes you kingly as a man is ; makes you manly 
as a king; 

And there's something in the grandeur of her 
season's sweep and swing ; 

That casts off the fretting fetters of the East 
and makes you blest 

With the vigor of the ])rairies — with the free- 
dom of the West ! 



INDEX 



Index 



257 



A 

Abercrombie State Park 114 

Agricultural College 203 

Appreciation Week 240 

Arbor Day 242 

Arvold, Prof. Alfred G 140 

B 

Bad Lands 99 

Bank of North Dakota 180 

Bankside Treatre 116 

Battleship of North Dakota 239 

Beaver Dammed Stream 107 

Beede, Dr. Aaron McGaffey 142 

Biological Station 74 

Board of Regents 173 

Bruce, Judge A. A 146 

Budlong, Mrs. Minnie Clarke...- 196 

Burning Mine 102 

Burns, Margaret -- 147 

C 

Capital Punishment 171 

Cedar Canon 102 

Chautauqua Parks 108, 110, 113 

Clays 159 

Coal 154 

County School Nurses 177 

Crawford, Lewis F. 139 

D 

Dairy Industry 153 

Dakota Playmakers 122 

Davis, Prof G 147 

De Mores, Marquis' Tribute to 

Bad Lands 101 

Dead Man's Gulch 105 

Devils Backbone 112 

Devils Heart 112 

Devils Lake Chautaqua Park... 110 

Devils Tooth 112 

Dickinson State Normal School 211 
Diversified Farming 152 



Federal & Vocational Training 

in Public Schools 179 

Fiscus, Nannie 146 

Fiske, Frank - 146 

Fjelde, Paul, the Sculptor 147 

Flag of North Dakota 249 

Foley, James, the Poet 137 

Fort Lincoln 236 

Fort Totten - 74 

G 

Garden of the Gods 108 

Gillette, Prof. John 146 

H 

Hail Insurance Bill 180 

Hanson, Joseph Mills 147 

Hellstrom, F. 0.. 191 

Hospital for the Insane 224 

Hult, Prof. Gottfried 146 



Indian Schools 237 

Industrial School at Ellendale 214 
Institution for Feeble Minded.. 227 



Juvenile Court 172 

K 

Killdeer Mountains 103 

Koch, Prof. Frederick H 116, 143 



Ladd, Dr. Edwin F 167 

Lake Region 72 

Legend of Mandan: a poem 59 

Legend of Valley City: a poem 44 

Lignite Coal 154 

Little Country Theatre 125 

Lookout Signal 106 



258 



Index — Coiit. 



M 

Macnie, John 147 

McVey, Frank 145 

Mayville State Normal School.. 208 
Medical Inspection in Schools.. 172 

Medicine Hole 104 

Minot State Normal School 210 

Moe, Maud 147 

Mothers' Day 241 

Mothers' Pension Bill 171 

Mudge, Lee 146 

N 

National Guard Armories 236 

National Guard of North Dakota 245 

Nelson, Carl . 14Y 

Normal-Industrial School at 

Ellendale 214 

North Dakota Agricultural Col- 
lege 203 

North Dakota Infantry 245 

North Dakota's Tribute to 
Theodore Roosevelt xi 

N 

Norton, Congressman P. D. — 
Tribute to North Dakota Sol- 
dier Boys 247 

Norton, Susan 147 

Nursing Profession 172 

O 

Ode to North Dakota 253 

P 

Pageant of the Northwest 117 

Perley, Elizabeth 146 

Pottery I59 

Presentation Speech of North 
Dakota People to Mrs. Theo- 
dore Roosevelt and Family... xi 

Public Library Commission 196 

Pure Food Law 167 



R 

Raze, Floyd 147 

Reform School 232 

Rindahl, J. O., the Landscape 

Painter 148 

Roosevelt's Tribute to Bad 

Lands 101 

Rural Education Bill 173 

Rural Schools . 185 

Russell Sage Foundation 183 

S 

Seal of North Dakota 251 

School of Forestry 216 

School for the Blind 219 

School for the Deaf and Dumb 222 
Schools of North Dakota. ...182, 185 

Science School 212 

Shakespeare, the Playmaker.... 117 

Shales 164 

Simmons, Abbie 145 

Soldiers' Home 234 

Soldier Boys Who Made Su- 
preme Sacrifice 248 

State Biological Station 74 

State Capitol 192 

State Militia Annual Encamp- 
ment Grounds 75 

State Park 114 

State Penitentiary 230 

State Reform School 232 

State School of Science 212 

State University 200 

Stearns. Dr. Wallace 146 

Taylor, Dean F. B 144 

Taylor, Joseph Henry 141 

Temperance Day 242 

Tepee Bottom 102 

Tribute to American Boys in 

the World War 248 

Tribute to Theodore Roosevelt xi 



Index— Cont. 259 

U Gods 108 

University of North Dakota 200 War Conference 189 

V Weather Bureaus 238 

Valley City Chautauqua Park... 113 Weeks, Prof. Arland D 145 

Valley City State Normal School 206 Where the West Begins: A 

Van Arnam, Judge George 146 Poem . I 

W Williard, Prof. Daniel 147 

Walhalla: The Garden of the Wilson, President Woodrow 189 



